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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.

— John McCrae

Remembrance Day Buying Guide

Remembrance Day,  also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day, takes place on 11 November and dedicated to the memory of members of the armed forces killed during World War I.  Following a decree by King George V, its first observance took place in 1919, one year after the war had officially ended.

Today, Remembrance Sunday is a public holiday that falls either on the second Sunday of November, or on the Sunday nearest to the 11th (this year, it falls on 9 November), and it is a time of commemoration.  Special services and parades are held all across the country, including the annual national service held in Whitehall, London at which the Queen lays a poppy wreath  on the Cenotaph.  War memorials are likewise decorated with wreaths and families traditionally visit the graves of relatives lost.  On 11 November itself, it is customary to observe two minutes of silence at 11:00 am, the alleged moment at which the guns of the Western Front finally fell slient.

Why Poppies?

After witnessing the death of his friend in 1915, Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae  wrote "In Flanders Fields", the poem at right.  Many war casualties were buried in the poppy-flecked battlefields of Flanders, and the red flower has since become the traditional symbol of the bloodshed of trench warfare.  McCrae's poem is typically part of Remembrance Day solemnities in Allied countries and has since been called the most popular poem produced during the First World War.

It is quite common to wear a poppy pin (sold on behalf of the British Legion) around this time, and poppy wreaths are typically used to decorate memorials and graves.  White poppies are also worn as a symbol of peace.  For information on where to find poppies, check out the charities in our External Links section.

There's More

Grow your very own Remembrance garden with oriental poppy seeds. 

The First World War 

John Keegan's comprehensive historical account of World War One.

Beneath Flanders Fields: The Tunnellers' War 1914-19 

A history by Peter Barton, Peter Doyle and Johan Vandewalle of the Ypres Salient mine warfare.

In Flanders Fields and Other Poems of the First World War 

A collection of poems written by soldiers and compiled by Brian Busby.

All Quiet on the Western Front 

Erich Maria Remarque's classic novel.
 

External Links

Charities

  • Poppy.org.uk: The official Poppy site; their organisation offers services to soldiers and veterans.
  • BritishLegion.org.uk: The official web page of the British Legion.

Information

  • Wikipedia.org: An article on Remembrance Day and its observance around the globe.
  • Wikipedia.org: An article on McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields".
  • BBC.co.uk: A guide to growing poppies of your own.

For Kids