Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day, is a time for people across the Commonwealth to remember members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty.
About Remembrance Day
The date marks the armistice that ended the fighting of World War I, at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. Commemorations started a year later. In many countries a moment of silence, often two minutes, is held at 11 a.m. In the UK the main national ceremony takes place on Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November.
The red poppy became a symbol of remembrance thanks to "In Flanders Fields," a poem by Canadian doctor John McCrae, inspired by the flowers growing on the battlefields of Belgium and France.
How to mark Remembrance Day
- Wear a poppy, and donate to a veterans' charity
- Pause for a silence at 11 a.m.
- Visit a local war memorial
- Read "In Flanders Fields"