Remembrance Sunday and the British Legion Poppy Published Nov. 6, 2015 By Staff Reports 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- At the eleventh hour of Nov. 11, we will mark 97 years since the end of The Great War. In the U.S., it is called Veterans Day; in the U.K., it is known as Remembrance Day, Armistice Day or Poppy Day. Millions of people each year stop what they are doing and observe a two-minute silence commemorating the original Armistice of 1918 which signaled the 'stilling of arms' and led to the formal end to the First World War, eventually signed in 1919. In the U.K., observance of Remembrance Day is always on the Sunday nearest to Nov. 11, which this year falls on Nov. 8. Beginning in 1939, at the start of World War II, the two-minute silence was moved to the Sunday nearest to Nov. 11 so as not to interfere with wartime production. Since the 1990s, a growing number of people have observed a two-minute silence on Nov. 11, whatever day of the week it may happen to fall upon, resulting in both that day and Remembrance Sunday being commemorated formally in the U.K. People across the nation observe the two-minute silence in a variety of ways, some formally at memorials and cenotaphs, and others informally. For further details, the link below will refer you to the British Legion's official page: www.britishlegion.org.uk The wearing of poppies is a proud tradition in the U.K. On British television you will notice that, from the last week of October until Nov. 11, all presenters and politicians wear the poppy as a mark of respect for those who have fought on behalf of the nation. The first official Legion Poppy Day was held in Britain on Nov. 11, 1921. It was inspired by the poem 'In Flanders' Fields' written by Lt. Col. John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Canadian Armed Forces, who tended the wounded and dying on the battlefields of Flanders. Some of the bloodiest fighting of World War I took place in the Flanders and Picardy regions of Belgium and northern France. The poppy was the only thing which grew in the aftermath of the complete devastation. The poem was written upon a scrap of paper in the trenches during a lull in the bombings May 3, 1915, after McCrae witnessed the death of his friend, Lt. Alexis Helmer, the day before. In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between 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. 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. Civilians wanted to remember the people who gave their lives for peace and freedom. In 1918, the year in which Colonel McCrae died of pneumonia in France, his verses were reprinted in America in the Ladies' Horns Journal. They made a profound impression on at least one reader. Moina Michael was from Georgia, the daughter of an American Civil War veteran. A 49-year-old teacher, she had made it her wartime task to help train YMCA workers at Columbia University in New York. On the day that the Armistice was signed, November 11, 1918, a conference of YMCA leaders was taking place. On impulse, Miss Michael went to Wanamaker's Department Store, bought a bouquet of red paper poppies - all that she could find - and, with McCrae's words in mind, plucked out the flowers and handed them to delegates to wear in memory of the fallen. Miss Michael then began a campaign for the Flanders poppy to be adopted as the national symbol of sacrifice. In 1920, the American Legion National Convention gave its formal approval; meanwhile, thanks to the publicity the campaign had generated, the little red flower's amazing fundraising possibilities were starting to emerge. In June 1919, in Milwaukee, patriotic Americans decked themselves with poppies taken from a refreshment stand for troops returning home from overseas, leaving generous donations in their place. The ladies manning the stall used the money to help disabled veterans. The following year, 1920, on the Saturday before Memorial Day, 50,000 artificial poppies were distributed in Milwaukee in return for donations. From Milwaukee, the idea spread and, as Memorial Day 1921 approached, throughout the American Legion and its supporters, demand grew for poppies. The call was met by Frenchwoman Anne Guerin, who ran an American-French charity to help French orphans of the war, and who was already using artificial poppies to raise funds. It was Anne Guerin who eventually persuaded the Royal British Legion that selling the poppies might be a way of fundraising. Since then, the Poppy Appeal has been a key annual event in the nation's calendar. The Royal British Legion, who runs the Poppy Appeal to this day, is a charitable organization which provides financial, social and emotional support to millions who have served and are currently serving in the Armed Forces and their dependents. Today the artificial poppies are made at the Poppy Factory in Surrey, England, and Remembrance Sunday is the culmination of a year's effort to make 38 million Remembrance poppies, 5 million Remembrance petals, 900,000 crosses and 100,000 wreaths. A team of 50 people, most of them disabled and ex-servicemen and women, work year round at the factory. They also make wreaths laid by Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal Family. Many of you will be aware of the major artistic installation entitled 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red' at the Tower of London last year, and some may have taken the opportunity to visit it. From Aug. 5 to Nov. 11, 2014, the dry moat of the Tower of London was filled with over 800,000 ceramic poppies to create a powerful visual commemoration for the First World War Centenary. Aug. 4, 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the day Britain entered one of the costliest conflicts in history - the First World War. 888,246 poppies were installed, one for each British and Colonial fatality during the war. The ceramic poppies were all sold and the money raised will be in excess of £11 million, to be shared equally amongst a group of carefully selected Service charities, including the British Legion. Annually, on the Saturday preceding Remembrance Sunday, London's Royal Albert Hall hosts the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance. The Festival of Remembrance is a solemn, thought-provoking event. A particularly poignant moment is the observance of the two-minute silence and the releasing of a million red poppies over the audience. On Remembrance Sunday, Nov. 8, the RAF commanders and many members of the U.S. Visiting Forces community here in the U.K. will attend acts of remembrance and lay wreaths throughout the local area as we all join together to remember and be thankful for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. *For RAF Lakenheath personnel who will be at work Nov. 11, the two-minute silence will be observed at the Spitfire opposite the base post office at 11 a.m. It is requested that all those wishing to attend be in place by 10.55 a.m.