Description
Remembrance Day Kent
Memorial Day is observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty, according ot Wikipedia. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of the First World War hostilities. Hostilities ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. At the 11th hour refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11am. The First World War formally ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919. It is also known as Poppy Day.
Poppy Day History
The British Legion says, "Our red poppy is a symbol of both Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future," and is worn as a show of support for the Armed Forces community. Most of the fighting in WW1 took place in Western Europe, and the countryside was devastated, except for the bright red Flanders poppies. They flourished by the thousands, and a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, saw the poppies which inspired him to write the famous poem, In Flanders Fields.
This inspired the spread of the poppy as a symbol in memory of those who had fallen, and American academic Moina Michael campaigned to get it as the official symbol of Remembrance across the United States and worked with others who were trying to do the same in Canada, Australia, and the UK. When a French woman, Anna Guérin, in 1921, planned to sell them in the UK, the Royal British Legion, which had been formed in 1921, ordered nine million poppies and sold them on 11th November that year.
Poppy Appeal
The poppies sold out almost immediately. That first Poppy Appeal raised over £106,000 to help veterans with housing and jobs, and today, 40,000 volunteers distribute 40 million poppies.
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Picture Credit: © Chris Sansbury at unsplash.com, Poppy - British Legion.
