Pozières and poppies: An analysis of a tourist marker for the Great War

Abstract

Following the Great War of 1914-1918 thousands of memorials were established across the world to justify mass death, to provide for personal mourning, bereavement and honouring of the soldiers. While the memorials retain their function in remembrance of the Great War, they also are increasingly important for a range of visitors, including tourists. The red Flanders poppy was used by the post war generation as a sign for resurrection and remembrance and to help people deal with the death of their loved ones. Today the red poppy has taken on several new uses for tourism in local areas on the Somme, such as directing tourists along a Poppy Trail and indicating the relative interest level of different sites. The research described here considers the contemporary use of the poppy by tourism in the area around the small town of Pozieres on the Somme, France. The research indicates that tourism has potential to change the focus of visitors towards larger monuments and away from smaller sites, in ways that do not necessarily reflect the original meanings of remembrance and commemoration for which the memorials were built. On the other hand, tourism can assist visitors in accessing memorials, museums and other sites of which they have previously been unaware.