REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

At 11 am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918, the guns fell silent along the Western Front and World War 1 ended.  Therefore this day is called "Armistice Day" or "Remembrance Day" in Britain, France, Commonwealth countries and other allied nations.  

In Britain people wear poppies on their lapels as so many soldiers died in the poppy fields of Flanders [Belgium] during World War 1.  This year the 11th November falls on a Sunday but when it does not,  ceremonies of remembrance for soldiers who lost their lives in all wars are held on the nearest Sunday to this date. At 11 am the country observes a two-minute silence.

A Royal British Legion poppy
Image: Wikipedia

On Remembrance Sunday the Queen lays a wreath of poppies on behalf of the nation at the Cenotaph [war memorial] in Whitehall, London.  The Duke of Edinburgh, other members of the Royal Family, the Prime Minister, the leader of the Opposition and other politicians also lay wreaths, as do the High Commissioners of Commonwealth countries. Afterwards there is a march past of war veterans' associations and the associations which help soldiers' families.  The event is organised by the Royal British Legion.

The money raised by the sale of paper poppies is used to help soldiers who have been injured and the families of those who have died.

The Queen leads the tributes at the 2011 Ceremony of Remembrance