REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY & ARMISTICE DAY 10TH & 11TH NOVEMBER
At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month – we will remember them.
In our fast paced and incessantly busy lives, both Remembrance Sunday (celebrated every year on the 2nd Sunday in November) and Armistice Day (the day the agreement was signed by Great Britain, France & Germany to end the fighting of the First World War and was a prelude to peace negotiations, which began at 11am on 11 November in 1918), provide the opportunity to pause and take a moment of reflection to honour and respect those who were killed and injured in past wars. We also use the opportunity to support, raise money for (through the Poppy Appeal) and give thanks to the many ex-service people who have to continue to fight a personal war through physical or mental trauma.
Armistice is Latin for ‘to stand (still) arms’
And part of the original Remembrance ceremonies was a two-minute silence held as a mark of respect for those who died or were left behind by the war and the 2 minutes silence at 11am is observed to this day.
We Remember the Courage of 1944
This year additionally marks the 80th anniversaries of momentous battles and significant turning points of the Second World War.
Most people are aware of the D-Day landings of 6th June (the largest seaborne invasion in history) and how they marked the beginning of the liberation of western Europe.
Less familiar might be that elsewhere on the globe exceptionally hard-fought battles were also turning the tide of the war. For example, The Battle of Monte Cassino was the bloodiest of the Italian Campaign and in India, outnumbered British and Indian forces withstood weeks of siege and brutal fighting at the Battles of Kohima and Imphal.
On these days of remembrance, we remember the service and sacrifice of British and Commonwealth armed forces in these and many other battles.
Why Do We Remember?
Not only do we think of those who died, we should also remember what that sacrifice stood for.
Many thousands of service men and women served to defend our democratic freedoms and our way of life. Without their ultimate sacrifice we would not be enjoying the lives we lead today. We unite to give thanks across all faiths, cultures and backgrounds and it is a chance to come together to collectively to give thanks.
