Remembrance Sunday 2010

As I sit here writing my blog for the week, the coverage of 'Remembrance Sunday at The Cenotaph' plays live on the television.

Remembrance Sunday is a day that the UK remembers the victims of The First  and The Second World War.  A service takes place on the 11th of November in Whitehall at The Cenotaph.

The Festival of Remembrance, held annually since 1927, came about because of the release of thousands of scarlet poppy petals from the roof of the Albert Hall as a representation of those who have died in combat.

The Queen and The Royal Family attend the service, as well as members of Parliament and a number of veterans who march past The Cenotaph to music played by a military band.  It is a grand but emotional affair.

During the First World War, countless people died in the fields of France and Belgium.  The fields in Flanders turned red because hundreds of Poppies that appeared there. 

The Canadian poet John McCrae wrote a poem called 'In Flanders Fields' which drew people's attention to the poppies.

The widows of dead soldiers decided to raise money by selling paper Poppies for a donation every year around the beginning of November.  The money raised by the collection was used to help families affected because of service in all wars - not just the World Wars.  This tradition still stands and Poppies are generally worn annually until Remebrance Day on 11th November.