Remembrance Day
World War One officially ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. In 1921 the first Armistice Day (now called Remembrance Day) ceremony was held at the Cenotaph in London. Since 1956 it hs been held on the Sunday nearest to 11 November.
Originally organised to honour the dead of that 'war to end all wars', it was to be less than 20 years before yet another world war broke out. After 1945, the dead of both world wars were commemorated in the ceremony. Since then, there has almost always been war in some part of the globe. Now the event has been broadened to commemorate all those who have died in conflicts in the service of their country. It includes a march past the Cenotaph and two minutes silence, as well as prayers and the words written by the English poet, Laurence Binyon in 1914:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
The Remembrance Day ceremony is organised by the Royal British Legion, which also raises money through its Poppy Appeal. The fields of Flanders and Picardy in northern France, were devastated by the fighting of World War One, but through the churned up earth, blood red poppies grew. After that war, artificial poppies were sold to raise money to help ex-servicemen and their dependants, and this continues today.
In 1933 the Co-operative Women's Guild produced the first white poppies to be worn on Remembrance Day, to symbolise 'the belief that there are better ways to resolve conflicts than killing strangers'. This was not intended as an insult to those who died in World War One – in fact many of the women had lost husbands, brothers, sons and lovers. Now the Peace Pledge Union promotes white poppies each year.
