'Remembrance Day' time to wear a red poppy

November is the time of the year when we wear a red poppy in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for us during wars.

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War One.

At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare.

What is Remembrance Day?

Remembrance Day is on 11 November. It is a special day set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts. At one time the day was known as Armistice Day and was renamed Remembrance Day after the Second World War.

Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is usually the Sunday nearest to 11 November. Special services are held at war memorials and churches all over Britain.



The Cenotaph, Whitehall, London

A national ceremony takes place at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. The Queen lays the first wreath at the Cenotaph.


Wreaths are layed beside war memorials by companies, clubs and societies. People also leave small wooden crosses by the memorials in remembrance of a family member who died in war.

'The Last Post'

The Last Post is traditionally played to introduce the minute's silence in commemoration ceremonies. It is usually ' played on a bugle. In military life, 'The Last Post' marks the end of the day and the final farewell.

"They Shall not grow old"

A poem called 'For the Fallen' is often read aloud during the ceremony; the most famous stanza of which reads:

    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.

Fourth stanza of 'For the Fallen' by Laurence Binyon (1869 - 1943)

Prince William lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall