When is Remembrance Sunday and why is Armistice Day so important?
REMEMBRANCE Sunday is the UK’s way of commemorating the contributions and efforts of the Brit and Commonwealth armed forces during World War One onward.
The day also marks civilian services and those who lost their lives. But when is remembrance Sunday – and what is Armistice Day?
Is Armistice day and Remembrance Sunday the same thing?
Armistice Day and Rememberance Sunday are not the same thing.
However, Armistice day is also referred to as Remembrance Day – which can be confusing.
Armistice day is always on November 11.
Remembrance Sunday is always on the second Sunday in November, but the date will change yearly – this year it’s on November 10 2019.
A two-minute silence is often acknowledged at schools, offices and churches around the country.
A National Service of Remembrance is held at The Cenotaph in Whitehall in London.
Members of the Royal Family and the Government attend the service alongside representatives from the Armed Forces and the public.
Another two-minute silence is held at 11am before a number of wreaths are laid down.
The Royal Marines buglers usually sound The Last Post.
A number of veterans also take part in a march past The Cenotaph.
What is Armistice Day and why is it important?
The day remembers the agreement between the Allies and Germany on November 11, 1918, to stop fighting which marked victory for the Allies and defeat for Germany.
It was signed in Compiegne in Northern France and came into effect at 11am.
The armistice forced the Germans to evacuate invaded countries and territories within two weeks.
They also had to surrender a significant amount of war material, including five thousand guns, 25,000 machine guns, 1,700 planes.
Germany, exhausted by war and with a nation of hungry citizens, reluctantly accepted the terms.
Although hostilities continued in some areas, the armistice essentially brought an end to fours years of fighting in the First World War.
Why do people wear poppies?
In the run up to Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, you will often spot veterans selling poppies at a number of locations across the country.
The reason poppies are used is because they are the flowers which grew on the battlefields after the First World War ended.
Poppies are also used to raise money for servicemen and women who are still alive but whose lives have been changed by war.
The charity that runs the Poppy Appeal is called The Royal British Legion.
More on Remembrance Sunday
Why is there a two-minute silence?
The silence is meant to be time for people to remember those who lost their lives fighting for their country.
According to reports, in a letter published in the London Evening News on 8 May 1919, an Australian journalist, Edward George Honey, had proposed a respectful silence to remember those who had given their lives in the First World War.
This was brought to the attention of King George V and on 7 November 1919, the King issued a proclamation which called for a two-minute silence.