What is Armistice Day
Armistice Day is celebrated every
year on 11 November to commemorate the peace
agreement signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France
for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I. This took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning
on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of
1918.
Although this “official” date to mark the end of the Great War
reflects the ceasefire on the Western Front - hostilities
continued in other regions, especially across the former Russian Empire and
in parts of the old Ottoman Empire.
In the UK the day was specifically dedicated by King
George V on 7
November 1919 as a day of remembrance for members of the armed forces who were
killed during World War I.
The date was also declared a national holiday in many allied countries
also to commemorate those members of the armed forces who were killed during World
War I with the exception of Italy. In Italy the end of the war is
commemorated on 4 November - the day of the Armistice of Villa Giusti.
After World War II the name of the holiday was changed in different
countries:
America - Verterans Day
Countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations –
Remembrance Day
France and Belgium - Armistice Day
The
Significance of the Poppy
The red remembrance poppy has
become a very familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields".
These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I their brilliant red
colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.
In Flanders Field
In
Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We
are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take
up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
How is Armistice Day Commemorated in
the UK?
In the United Kingdom two minutes of silence are observed on 11
November every year (whatever day of the week the date falls in) however the
main observance is on the second Sunday of November - Remembrance Sunday. The
beginning and end of the two minutes' silence is often marked in large towns and
cities by the firing of ceremonial cannon however if a cannon is not available “The Last Post” is played on a bugle to introduce
the start of the two minutes silence whilst the sounding of “Reveille” ends the two minutes silence. Also
church services frequently incorporate one minute's or two minutes' silence within
their Sunday service.
Second Sunday of November:
 |
| The Queen laying a wreath at the Cenotaph |
Ceremonies are held at local war memorials throughout the country and are usually organised
by local branches of the Royal British Legion. The Royal
British Legion is an association for ex-servicemen. Typically poppy wreaths are
laid by representatives of the Crown (the Royal Family) / the armed forces and
local civic leaders (such as the Mayor of the town / city or head of the local
parish). Local organisations such as: ex-servicemen organisations / cadet forces
/ the Scouts / Guides / Boys' Brigade / St John Ambulance and the Salvation Army are also involved.
11th November:
Wreath-laying ceremonies are observed at many war memorials across
the UK at 11 a.m. on the 11th of November led by the Royal British Legion.
 |
| Wreath laying in a local village |
Many employers and businesses invite their staff and customers to
observe the two minutes' silence at 11:00 am both on the second Sunday of
November and 11th November (if the Remembrance Day falls on a
different day)
The
First Ever Two Minute Silence in London
The Silence
“The first stroke of eleven produced a magical effect. The tram
cars glided into stillness, motors ceased to cough and fume, and stopped dead,
and the mighty-limbed dray horses hunched back upon their loads and stopped
also, seeming to do it of their own volition. Someone took off his hat, and
with a nervous hesitancy the rest of the men bowed their heads also. Here and
there an old soldier could be detected slipping unconsciously into the posture
of 'attention'. An elderly woman, not far away, wiped her eyes, and the man
beside her looked white and stern. Everyone stood very still ... The hush
deepened. It had spread over the whole city and become so pronounced as to
impress one with a sense of audibility. It was a silence which was almost pain
... And the spirit of memory brooded over it all. “
Manchester Guardian, November
12th 1919 – thanks to:
Written by: Andria Owen
No comments:
Post a Comment