<P> The remembrance poppy is an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war , and represents a common or field poppy , Papaver rhoeas . Inspired by the World War I poem `` In Flanders Fields '' , and promoted by Moina Michael , they were first adopted by the American Legion to commemorate American soldiers killed in that war ( 1914 -- 1918 ) . They were then adopted by military veterans ' groups in parts of the British Empire . </P>
why do the top gear presenters wear poppies
to commemorate military personnel who have died in war