Remembrance Sunday - ‘is held in the UK and the Commonwealth as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in November, the Sunday nearest to 11 Nov (Armistice Day), the anniversary of the end of the hostilities in the First World War at 11am in 1918.’ (source: Wikipedia.
Armistic day is always on the 11th November at 11am, which marks the date and time when the armistice was signed between the Allies of World War 1 and Germany for the end of World War 1 on the Western Front, at 11am. Hence “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the 11th month”.
Did you know that:
The Red poppy is customarily used at and before Remembrance Sunday. This is because the corn poppies bloomed everywhere between the trench lines and no man’s lands on the Western front. It is an ‘emblem of remembrance and hope’
The correct way to use it (according to some) is as follows: “women wear the poppy on the right side. The leaf should be positioned at 11 o’clock to represent the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the time World War 1 formally ended. “
“The red represents the blood of all those who gave their lives and the black represents the mourning of those who didn’t have their loved ones return home, and the green leaf represents the grass and crops growing and future prosperity after the war destroyed so much. “ (source: Karen Lowton)
You can wear a white poppy as a symbol of peace.
You can also wear a purple poppy to honour all the animals that were victims of war. These are sold by Animal Aid.
If you are interested in more information about all the different poppies you can wear and what it means to the different parts of the UK, why not follow this link
If you’d like to support the British Legion, or have more questions about the poppy and how funds are used, follow this link
