What is Remembrance Sunday?
Remembrance Sunday is a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life, most notably: the Armed Forces and their families in Britain and the Commonwealth, our emergency services and all those who have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism.
An annual National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in Whitehall on the second Sunday in November is mirrored in communities all over the UK and the Commonwealth. They provide a focus to remind us about all those who have served their country and made a sacrifice. Typically, a short Act of Remembrance Service is followed by the laying of wreaths on a war memorial by civic leaders and representatives of the Armed Forces, veterans, emergency services and uniformed adult and young peoples’ organisations.
What is the Act of Remembrance?
At the core of a Remembrance event is the Act of Remembrance that takes the form:
The Exhortation: A verse from “For the Fallen” by Robert Binyon, who was moved to pen the poem by the horrendous casualties suffered by the British Expeditionary Force at the Battles of Mons and Cateau in August 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 Last Post: In military tradition, the “Last Post” bugle call signifies the end of daytime activity and the start of night routine. At military funerals and Remembrance ceremonies, the “Last Post” symbolises a soldier’s last duty as a “sitting sentry” (death).
Two Minute Silence: We observe two minutes of silence to honour the Fallen in all conflicts and recognise the sacrifices of our service men and women.
Reveille: At military funerals and Remembrance ceremonies, the “Reveille” bugle call symbolises a dead soldier “rising” above mortal duties; they are now at rest and at peace.
The Kohima Epitaph: The words remind us to give thanks for all the tomorrows that we have enjoyed because of the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in conflict.
When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow, we gave our today.
Origin: Written by John Maxwell Edmonds in 1916, a classical scholar horrified by the sacrifice made by so many at the Battle of the Somme, the words were inspired by a battle fought in 480 BC by the Spartans at enormous cost in lives lost to prevent the Persian Army from advancing into mainland Greece. The similarities between that battle and Kohima, in 1944, where British and Commonwealth Forces stopped the Japanese from advancing into India from Burma, inspired Edmonds’ prophetic words to be adopted for the Kohima War Memorial in 1946. Thus, the title “The Kohima Epitaph” was born.
What does the Poppy Mean?
Why do we wear poppies in UK on Remembrance Sunday?
The poppy is a symbol of Remembrance for all who have lost their lives on active service, from the beginning of the First World War right up to the present day, and includes innocent civilians who have died in conflicts and acts of terrorism. While the wearing of a poppy is primarily an overt show of support for the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces, veterans and emergency services, it also honours the wider contribution of civil society including the uniformed and youth services that contribute to national peace and security.
How did a paper poppy become part of our national culture of Remembrance?
In the spring of 1915, shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Fields” after seeing poppies growing in battle-scarred fields.
In Flanders’ fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders’ fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high,
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders’ Fields.
“In Flanders Fields” inspired Moina Michael, an American, to campaign for the poppy to be adopted as an official symbol in memory of those who had fallen in the World War 1. In 1921, Earl Haig, founder of the British Legion, agreed to adopt the poppy as the emblem of Remembrance. That same year, 9 million poppies were sold in the UK.
What happens to the funds raised by the British Legion’s sales of poppies?
All of the money raised from the sale of poppies goes towards providing support to serving personnel, veterans and their families with particular emphasis on funding charities that support those with physical disabilities and mental health issues arising from their service. Poppies are available in shops in most villages lucky enough to have one.
Please buy a poppy this year, wear it with pride and, in so doing, support the British Legion and the fantastic work it does to help those damaged by their service in conflict zones.
Article written by Phil Russell MBE, Kirdford
Author of “Between the Lines: Memoir of an International Ceasefire Monitor”
