The guns fell silent at 11.00am on the 11th November 1918.
Everyone knows the date, which has now become Remembrance day - beyond the First World War, which it was originally to commemorate, it is now a day to remember the sacrifices made by the armed forces in conflicts the world over.
And this is the time of year that you will see people selling the symbolic poppies in aid of the Royal British Legion in Rugby and across the UK. Yet how many of us buy them automatically, rather than understanding the meaning behind this simple paper flower? This year in 2011 the Royal British Legion is 90 years old - something that we can all be proud of.
The Royal British Legion perform a vital service, providing welfare to everyone associated with the Armed Forces. They help both serving personnel, ex-service and their dependente, providing welfare services for Armed Forces personnel and their families, as well as running campaigns on various issues which affect those in the Armed forces.
As well as all this, they are the custodians of Remembrance and the Poppy appeal is their crucial fundraising activity. One of the UK’s largest membership organisations, they run the manufacture and sales of Poppies nationally.
The Poppy appeal was launched in 1921 inspired by the poem In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae – which contains the line ‘We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders' Fields’. They were initially real poppies sold by civilians to raise money and remember the fallen of the ‘Great War’ until the founder of The Disabled Society – which has cared for people injured in active service since 1922 – came up with the idea of replicas being manufactured by former servicemen who had been disabled in the war.
The practice continues to this day with the poppies themselves designed to be easily assembled by people with disabilities, so next time you see someone selling the paper flower in Rugby, remember the story behind the poppy.
Rugby No1 Branch of the Royal British Legion will be selling poppies, wreaths and lapel badges in the Clock Towers and in Asda from 31st October and 12th November 2011.
