© 2012 The Weekly Plan. All rights reserved.
REMEMBRANCE DAY/ ARMISTICE DAY
Remembrance Day is a day in which we honour and
remember those who lost their lives in war. On this day we
remember all those who died in wars since World War I.
Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November because
this is the day World War I formally ended. Millions of
people around the world now take a few quiet moments to
reflect "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month",
which is when the peace agreement was signed.
To understand the significance of Remembrance Day, we
need to look back at some of the events that unfolded at
the time of World War I.
World War I began in 1914 and to start with it only involved
European countries. They fought for either the Allies or the
Central Powers. The Allies included the United Kingdom,
France and the Russian Empire, while the Central Powers
included Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances
changed and grew as other nations entered the war.
Generally, the people of Europe were willing to go to war
as they thought their particular country would win in a
matter of months. However, by the end of 1914, well over
a million soldiers of various nationalities had been killed
and no final victory was in sight for anybody.
In 1918, America sent troops and resources into the
western front to give the Allies the power they needed to
defeat their enemies. At 5 a.m. on the morning of
November 11, 1918, Germany faced invasion from the
Allies. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the
Allies in a railroad car in France. This agreement saw the
end of World War I. The reference to it being signed "At
the 11th hour" refers to the passing of the 11th hour.
World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty
of Versailles on 28 June 1919.
World War 1 left nine million soldiers dead and 21 million
wounded. In addition, at least five million civilians died
from starvation or disease. In fact, World War I was known
11 NOVEMBER 1919
as the "war to end all wars" because of the great
devastation it caused. Unfortunately, it was not to be
the final war.
Remembrance Day (or Armistice Day as it was called
then and is sometimes still called) was first
established by King George V on 7 November 1919
as a day to remember those who were killed during
World War I. It began with a banquet to honour The
President of the French Republic and the next
morning the Armistice Day ceremony took place in the
grounds of Buckingham Palace.
Today, The "Last Post" is played to introduce a two
minute silence in Remembrance Day ceremonies. It is
usually played on a bugle. The two minute silence is
observed at 11am on the 11th November. The first
two minute silence in Britain was held when King
George V asked the public to observe a silence at
11am on 11 November 1919. He requested this so
"the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on
reverent remembrance of the glorious dead".
In addition to Remembrance Day, the second Sunday
of each November is known as Remembrance
Sunday. This is when church services remember
fallen soldiers and members of the British Royal
family, politicians and old soldiers lay poppy wreaths
at the Cenotaph in London.
The red poppy is now a familiar symbol of
Remembrance Day. Red poppies could be found
across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders,
France during World War I. Their bright red colour
symbolised not only the blood that was shed during
the war but also the hope of new life. The Poppy has
been used as a symbol since 1920 and today,
Remembrance Day is also referred to as Poppy Day.
Poppies are commonly worn on clothing in the days
leading up to Remembrance Day and poppy wreaths
are also placed on war memorials.
© 2012 The Weekly Plan. All rights reserved.
REMEMBRANCE DAY/ ARMISTICE DAY
11 NOVEMBER 1919
Some people choose to wear different coloured
poppies. White poppies are worn by pacifists to
promote peace as opposed to war. Other people
choose to wear purple poppies to remind people that
animals also lose their lives during wars.
New Zealand is one of the few countries that does not
hold its Remembrance Day on November 11. Our
national day of remembrance is Anzac day, 25 April.
The reason for this occurred in 1921 when the paper
poppies for Remembrance Day arrived to New Zealand
late by ship. They were then handed out at the next
commemoration date, which happened to be Anzac
Day. From then on Anzac Day continued to be New
Zealand’s Poppy Day.
While we understand Remembrance Day is an
important opportunity to honour and remember those
who died in war, it is equally important we use this time
to reflect on the cost of war and the other ways in which
we can resolve conflicts.
Discussion Questions
Factual
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Why is Remembrance Day on the 11th
November?
What is New Zealand’s Remembrance
Day called?
Why is New Zealand’s Remembrance
Day held on a different date to other
countries?
In which country did Germany sign the
agreement to stop World War I?
Who first established Remembrance
Day?
When was the red poppy first used as a
symbol for Remembrance Day?
Challenge
Imagine you a newspaper reporter in 1918.
The news has just come through that Germany
has surrendered and World War I has ended.
a) Write an eye-catching headline to spread
this exciting news.
b) Write the first paragraph of the newspaper
story. Try to summarise the most relevant
facts.
* The United States also observes a memorial day on 11th
November, called Veterans Day - "a day to be dedicated to the
cause of world peace".