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Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in
Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I
to remember the members of their armed forces who
have died in the line of duty.

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Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to
recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date
in 1918.

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The red remembrance poppy has become a 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.

Remembrance Day

:

Red Poppy

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Ceremonies are held at local war memorials, usually organized by
local branches of the Royal British Legion, an association for ex-
servicemen

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The start and end of the silence is often also marked by the firing of
an artillery piece.

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The First Two Minute Silence in London (11 November 1919) was
reported in the Manchester Guardian on 12 November 1919

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The main national commemoration is held at Whitehall, in Central
London, for dignitaries, the public, and ceremonial detachments from
the armed forces and civilian uniformed services such as the
Merchant Navy and Her Majesty's Coastguard. Members of the
British Royal Family walk through the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office towards the Cenotaph, assembling to the right of the
monument to wait for Big Ben to strike 11:00 a.m., and for the King's
Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at Horse Guards Parade, to fire the
cannon marking the commencement of the two minutes of silence.

Remembrance Day

in the UK

The Cenotaph at Whitehall

The last three British-resident veterans of World War I,

Bill Stone, Henry Allingham and Harry Patch, attended
the 2008 ceremony but all died in 2009. After the
service, there is a parade of veterans, who also lay
wreaths at the foot of the Cenotaph as they pass, and a
salute is taken by a member of the Royal Family at
Horse Guards Parade.

Bill Stone

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Harry Patch

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Henry Allingham