Armistice day was originally a day of Remembrance for all those people who gave their lives in the Great War (First World War) and was instigated following a proclamation by King George V in 1919 stating that “all locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead”. This took place as a two minute silence on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, this year this also falls on Remembrance Sunday.
Poppies were used as a symbol by the British Legion and money collected from their sale still goes to help wounded and ex servicemen and women plus the families of servicemen and women killed in action.
Many people now remember friends and relatives killed in conflicts in the 20th and 21st Centuries and many events take place around the country. We even have a National Memorial Arboretum dedicated to the memories of all people killed in conflict.
So whether it is to remember your relatives, friends and colleagues, or just to think of all those who gave their lives to help others or died in conflict, wear your poppy with pride. It also pays to remember that we would not be living in peace were it not for these people.