A small boraginaceous plant (myosotis palustis) which bears a light-blue flower of five petals commonly regarded as the emblem of CONSTANCY and FRIENDSHIP. boraginaceous - a genus of herb with hairy leaves and stems, with blue flowers, sometimes used in salads, for flavouring beverages, and sometimes medicinal. myosotis palustis - the petals of the flower are mouse- eared shape and the herb normaly grows in the vicinity of marshes. In 1934, the German Grand Lodge of the Sun in Beyreuth (one of the pre-war Grand Lodges) realized the immenent problems facing them and elected to wear a little blue flower, the Forget-Me-Not, in lieu of the traditional Square and Compasses as a mark of identity for Masons. It was felt that the new symbol wouldn't attract attention from the Nazi's who were in the process of confiscating and appropriating Masonic Lodges and property. Masonry had gone underground and it was necessary that the Brethren have some readily recognizable means of identification. In 1947, when the Grand Lodge of the Sun was reopened in Beyreuth, a little blue pin, in the shape of a Forget-Me-Not was proposed and adopted as the official emblem of the first annual convention of those who survived the bitter years of semi-darkness, bringing the Light of Masonry once again into the Temples. In 1948, the pin was officially adopted by the newly-formed VGL (Vereinigye Grosslogen von Deutschland - United Grand Lodges of Germany, A. F. & A. M.).
****** Taken from The Philatelic Freemason, the journal of the Masonic Study Unit of the American Topical Association, Vol. 18, No. 6, March-April, 1995.