> the poppy symbol is from World War I and so much of our ANZAC Day observance is also connected to New Zealand's involvement in that war, I associated the two in my mind as a New Zealand thing. I was interested to learn that it happens in Canada too. Do other countries also use the poppy on their days of remembrance, or is it restricted to Commonwealth nations?

The remembrance day service in the UK is always held on the closest Sunday to the 11th Nov. Wreaths of poppies are laid at the Cenotaph in Whitehall by The Queen, Queen Mother, Princes Charles and Philip, the Prime Minister and the Chiefs of each of the Armed Services, as well as many others like the Chelsea Pensioners and the Salvation Army. It's always a site to behold and poppies are on *sale* in abundance beforehand.