American Reacts to Significance of the Red Poppy for Remembrance Day
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- Опубліковано 11 лис 2022
- In this video I react to the reason why people wear the red poppy for Remembrance Day and the history behind the symbol. I've seen the red poppy being worn during Veteran's Day, but never stopped to discover the meaning behind it. Now that I understand it actually represents the fallen soldiers that died fighting for our freedoms, starting with World War 1 it gives me a new perspective that I'm very thankful to have.
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We don't celebrate remembrance Sunday or armistice Day, we observe it. On 11.11 we always stop whatever we're doing at my work and observe 2 minutes silence and this Sunday on Remembrance Sunday we'll observe the ceremonial laying of the wreaths around the UK at most war memorials. It's such a moving and really beautiful coming together of everyone, young and old alike.
They gave all their minutes. We pay back our two as an act of remembrance and thanks for their sacrifice.
My home town of Bedworth always on the 11 November.
@@joyridgway6398they do it on the wrong month then
@Dr34dEnd3r sorry meant November, my dyslexic kick in.
@@joyridgway6398 ok
My husband was in the army for 16 years and died 3 years ago from injuries sustained in service . I was so heartbroken that I couldn’t face our little vegetable garden. When I managed to get there after a year, it was a sea of red poppies. I can’t even explain what that meant to my heart. He lives on with me through that peaceful vegetable garden filled with poppies
I'm sorry for your loss Angeline. That's amazing that your garden became a sea of red poppies. It's almost like a sign that your husband is watching over you. I hope you're doing well.
@@reactingtomyroots thank you x
God Bless.
@Angeline grows sorry for ur loss n thanx for his service 2 our country
@@reactingtomyroots u need to watch Blackadder Goes Forth u will see it
We don't celebrate it it's just a time of reflection
I'm glad someone said it, I see the word celebrate thrown around a lot by americans who talk about remembrance day, it's not his fault it's just the way it's seen in the US i guess and the different mentality towards different things. I could be wrong but it seems they see it as a celebration of the lives of the fallen were as we see it as a time to reflect on the the events and lose of life of men who gave it all in wars that devistated the world.
You are absolutely right ,how could the death of millions be celebrated. My uncle was 19 years old and in the then Royal Flying Corps when was killed over Ypres on 3 August 1917, his father ( and my grandfather's ) birthday. We never marked my grandfather's birthday as a result , too painful for my grandparents
Speak for yourself; after the parade at the local war memorial, we always go for a drink to celebrate the lives of the mates we’ve lost and reminisce. I would make a distinction between the somber time of reflection, particularly during the two mins silence, and the celebration of life that takes place afterwards. Perhaps it’s just a thing veterans do to remember the mates they’ve lost.
Remembrance day is a commemoration. To remember the terrible sacrifice. And in hopes that we try to do better in future. Something, so far, we haven’t managed to do very well.
My great aunt Lizzie’s birthday was 11th November. She never celebrated it on that day.
I was in a very long queue at Chicago airport waiting to go through passport control, an officer from Homeland security noticed my small red poppy and asked if I was a veteran, when I replied that I was but from UK armed forces he took me straight to the front of the queue. What a kind gesture.
Britain got involved in two wars that had nothing to do with them Europe loved WW1 so much they allowed Germany to mass arms for WW2 Europe Hate Britain all they send the UJK is illegals migrant Criminals & freeloaders the white British will soon be the minority
And like a twat you jumped the queue... yeah ok
The only thing I can add to the great comments here, is that the Poppy we wear on Remembrance Day is to represent all those that we have lost in wars present and past. Even old foes are invited to join in. It is not a time to celebrate the victories, it’s a time to pay respect.
I agree, doesn't matter "what side" you were on, we all lost in the end, out of war, one would say, if we saw "the enemy" on a regular day, at a pub you'd have a friendly chat and a drink together...
@@kayleighbrown965 If anything it's the greatest honour to those that have fallen that their descendants can peacefully come together as equals
mostly right ... red for the blood that was spent ... green center for those who fought and returned ...black center for those who didnt ... and it is also a celebration of the freedom they fought for ... it is sad how many people forget what the day really means ... as a veteran myself ... the only time I get thanked for my service to Canada and the USA (6 years of my service was working for the US as a Candian sniper) the rest of the time I get called everything in the book ... that is how most people treat those who were willing to pay for THEIR freedom with their life
It's also worth knowing, that at the laying of the wreath by the monarch ( who is head of the armed forces), they will then bow their head - the only time The Monarch bows.
Unless they're in military uniform, in which case they salute.
I didn’t realise that. My generation are not taught these things sadly
The monarch doesn't have very much power in the country anymore though which is a shame
@@ctbossboss1734 Yeah, I agree. Towards the end of the 2008 financial crisis, QE2 was being briefed by the Financial sector on what was going on in The City, England's version of Wall Street, and upon hearing their explanations she asked a very pointed question. All the bankers and corporate executives had praised themselves and their knowledge and abilities. Then she hit them with a question which was; "If all of you are so smart, why did you not see what was happening and stop it before it became a crisis for the nation and for the world? None of them dared to tell her the real truth though they all knew she was demanding and expecting an answer. It took some time but eventually she got an answer but in her opinion, not a truthful answer and she demanded better of them. If she'd had the power that used to belong to the monarch, the situation would not have deteriorated so quickly so widely.
I feel like that video should have pointed out that poppy wreaths are not just laid at the cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday, but at every war memorial in the country, every village town and city all stand for the silence and lay wreaths. It's very moving.
Yes and most uniformed groups and service people will parade through each town to the war memorial.
Yes and all over the world.
They do the same in Australia, throughout the whole Country, throughout every small, Country Town. "On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, We Will Remember Them" "Lest We Forget"
Being at school in the 1950’s, when many of our teachers had been in the services. My generation being born into freedom, our obligation to the fallen was drilled into us, and has remained with us ever since!.
Two true
I am a little younger, born in 1960, but there was a stigma against those who did not wear a poppy. My father had served in the Royal Navy. It was a feeling of shock more than anything else. For years a WWII veteran in our village, an RN Commander who flew the Fairey Swordfish, came round selling poppies. When he died recently it was a tangible feeling of loss not to wear one. Then I found the Poppy Shop online so get mine direct, along with other goodies that all go support the Royal British Legion.
The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman region with a small minority Jewish population. The declaration was contained in a letter dated 2 November 1917 from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. The text of the declaration was published in the press on 9 November 1917.
The Poppies growing at Flanders Field on disturbed ground where Soldiers died is amazing, and represented every Soldier killed at the time, I hope this tradition always continues.
In the very near future it will be phased out, deemed racist or something as we are now silently invaded by those who hate us..shameful, God help us all !
@@stuzo666 The way these Woke Snowflake generations act and behave, the whole of History will be lost or distorted if they get their way, We should stand against Woke.
In Flanders Fields
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.
On the blasted battlefields of WW1 one of the first plants to grow back were red poppies.
This will be the first since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth passed away, it will be a little strange.
Thanks for sharing.
Got to say. McCrea was a Doctor and Captain Canadian Armed Forces, Medical Corp. He actually threw the poem away where it was retrieved by his Subordinate Officer and published
Well said
Never Again
@@JOEFABULOUS. killing and war is what we as humans repeat despite what we've learnt. We seem to be good at it..perhaps that's why the horror is repeated in spite of the heavy cost
You should read the poem in Flanders Field. That poem really shows why the poppy was chosen, and why it’s important to remember those who gave their lives.
It’s the Kohima epitaph that really hits home to me. “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today.”
In Flanders Fields
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.
Kohima should be better known of. It was the British Empire's equivalent to the Battle of Stalingrad.
@@wessexdruid7598 I agree. It was a bitter and bloody fight, but it finally turned the tide in war against Japan.
It's difficult to read that without taking a moment to pause, and collect oneself.
Stirling- very glad you posted it. It explains it all really.
When the Poppies fall from the ceiling at the festival of remembrance is always poignant moment.
On the 11th November (if not on a Sunday itself), people go about business as usual, with 2 minutes silence at 11 am. On the nearest Sunday, the Remembrance Services are held.
I also watch the Festival of Remembrance televised from the Royal Albert Hall. It culminates in a silence during which red petals fall from the ceiling on to the service personnel below. For me the most impactful quote, is "Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn, at the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them".
❤
Yes, and each petal represents a life lost. It's really moving.
It's not a day to "celebrate." It's a day to remember the fallen. Remembrance Sunday.
'Commemorate' is a better word here. 'Poppy Day' on the 11/11 is usually fairly solemn too, though can be done in a shorter more informal way, as I saw yesterday in a small Scottish village by the market cross with the list of local people who lost their lives in WW1 and WW2 being read out, a wreath of poppies being laid, and some schoolchildren doing readings on the theme of 'we shall remember them'. Then after the clock tower struck 11, the 2 minute silence, followed by thanks from the organisers, then the 30-odd attenders quietly dispersed, some to the pub.
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 In Flanders fields
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 In Flanders fields
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields In Flanders fields
(Flanders Fields)
Cenotaph means 'Empty Tomb'. Every village, town and city has a Memorial naming ALL their local fallen men. Remember that until quite recently, travel abroad was not easy for the vast majority, so the Memorials are a way local people could see and remember their relatives. The tradition here is that the men were buried where they fell with all their mates, irrespective of race, religion or status.
Do you consider that they all died in vain..all for nothing ?
@@stuzo666 at the end of the day , they died so that we may be here today and live in the wealth and prosperity that they fought for, imagine how bad things may have been if Germany won ww1 and forced Britain and France to pay reparations , leading to poverty and extremism. If they hadn't fought we may live in states even more orwellian than today. It was very surreal seeing my great-great grandfather's gravestone at tynecot and reminds me how we must preserve what they fought for , king and country and ensure that they did NOT die in vain
@@southern_poacher688 you are to wrapped up in nostalgia to get it. After ww1 Britain and France were destroying Germany with " their reparations " if the German citizens did not salute French soldiers on the streets they were roughed up ? This caused massive poverty and ohhhh the rise of Hitler? Duhhhh get it now ! The current invasion is an insult to those brave men and women who died. Ohhh dont give me all this " we would be speaking German nonsense " Japan lost ww2, did they all start speaking English errrr no , Japan has kept their culture , dignity and does not allow migrants to take over and destroy their country. My wife is Japanese and they have the right idea, Japan for the Japanese. Its fools like you wallowing in propaganda that are the cause of the new , we pay for the privilege, INVASION, if you all put as much effort into this and really protect the memory of those who died then we could really have a proper remembrance! Sadly fools like you will never get it
@@stuzo666 The irony is that the fact you can make this statement shows they did not...
@@chean1815 listen you fool, we won both wars ....emmmm are the germans speaking English.. 🤔hmmmm NO, is the German economy better stronger than ukstan 🤔 hmmmmm, YES. are German cars more sought after worldwide, than British cars , not many corsas whizzing about in Germany or USA lol ....🤔 ohhh and Japan decimated by the yanks , are they speaking English these days 🤔 ant the economy is better than ukstan, ohhh the cars and motorbikes are not to shabby either..lol...your arguments are full of holes matey
Remembrance Sunday is traditionally the bigger occasion of the two events. Until about 10 or 15 years ago the two minutes silence on the 11 November had fallen out of favour for many people. There was a campaign to bring it back to prominence and I'm pleased to say that it was successful. It has also been my absolute privilege to be a poppy seller for the Poppy Appeal for a number of years. The generosity of so many people is incredible and knowing that you are helping to raise money for a good cause. It's gratifying to give something back to those or the families of those that have given so much.
Steve, if you want to see something really fantastic on this same subject you should look at the ceramic poppy art installation outside of The Tower of London in November 2014 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the start of World War I. It was comprised of 888,246 separate handmade ceramic poppies and is truly wondrous and beautiful to behold. ✌😢✌🥀🥀🥀
You could purchase one of the poppies afterwards, we bought one in memory of our great grandfather who died in late November 1918, after the War had finished, and is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel. The proceeds from the sales went to veterans charities.
Actually it was in 2014 for the centenary of the start of the war.
Steve here's the official video all about Tower of London Poppies and it's set up.
ua-cam.com/video/KMxF3L2G0-4/v-deo.html
I visited this in 2014 - it was incredible and something I will never forget.
Okay, @@arwelp, I stand corrected and so too does my initial comment now.
As "Custodians" of Remembrance, the Royal British Legion produce all poppies and associated items and invites the public to make a donation to the RBL. The funds raised are used to support veterans and their families in need.The RBL also campaign on behalf of veterans and their families and the most recent notable example of this was concerned with the issue of War Widows' pensions. The poppy is deep in the national psyche.
We commemorate rather than celebrate. I remember all the war dead but especially my Grandfather who fought in the trenches in WW1 and who was one of very few to survive his division in the Gordon Highlanders. Both my parents fought in WW2, Dad the Eighth Army was at El Alamein and Mum as a Wren helped plan the D Day landings. So proud.
We remember all those in all conflicts who sacrificed their lives and those injured and those who came home changed forever 😢😊
I agree not only the fallen but those terrible injured who survived . Many scarred physically and mentally ...my Grandad was one of them lest we should forget them too
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
We will remember them.
If you watch the final scene of the final episode of Blackadder goes forth it fades out to a field of poppies - so touching and thought provoking considering its a sitcom
It's not a sitcom, it's a comedy.🤦♂
I live in Canada and in the city where I live, we observe Remembrance Day on the 11th of November at 11h00 no matter what day of the week that is. We gather around the cenotaph in the park to thank our heroes and have a moment of silence. Then ''The Last Post'' is played on bugle. It is a short ceremony but very important, to this day.
Steve, the red field poppy was significant because it is an annual wildflower, that likes to grow in disturbed earth, so the constant shell fire provided a perfect environment for them to flourish, coincidently where so many men died.
The French also had a similar flower connection to the war, they used to wear the blue cornflower as a symbol of remembrance.
Most cornfield or grassland annual flowers like the same conditions, resulting in carpets of flowers on the battlefields, accompanied by clouds of butterflies that were attracted to the flowers.
Best Wishes from Wales.
I didn't know about the French wearing cornflowers. Thanks Paul
I believe the French wear forget me nots, which have blue flowers.
@@davidsweeney4021
I'm not sure how many French citizens practice wearing blue cornflower symbols these days, or whether the custom has died out over time. 👍
I didn't know that Paul Durkee . Thank you. Seems strange how these beautiful flowers grow up in such tragic situations. Nature is a fond of wisdom it seems
It isn't so much that poppies like to grow in disturbed ground - the name for the one used for remebrance is the corn poppy - so traditionally a cornfield weed.
Poppy seed can survive in the ground for many, many (perhaps hundreds of) years but will only germinate when very close to the surface.
On the battlefields of WW1, directly after the end of the war, poppies flowered profusely as a result of the churning of the soil caused by explosives of one sort or another.
Remembrance Day is observed in Canada, as in the UK and many Commonwealth countries. If you travel across Canada, you'll find that every city, town or village has a Cenotaph, where members of the military, veterans and citizens meet at 11 AM on November 11th to remember our war dead. The Flanders Poppy is connected to Canada in another way. "In Flanders Fields" was written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon in the Canadian Army Medical Corps, attached to the Canadian General Hospital. McCrae wrote "In Flanders Fields" while a casualty surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. Sadly, McCrae died of pneumonia on January 28, 1918 (aged 45) at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. He is buried in the Wimereux Communal Cemetery overlooking the English Channel. John McCrae is remembered as a poet, an author, artist and soldier.
McCrae's poem became part of the memorial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. While it was being designed, themes from "In Flanders Fields" were represented by female figures carved into the monument, "To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high."
(If you are not familiar with the Vimy Memorial, it is worth a look - It is striking. An excellent short documentary, "Why the Battle of Vimy Ridge matters" was made by the CBC in 2017, the 100th anniversary of the Battle. This video describes the history and design of this enormous and iconic memorial, and the themes it incorporated with its many carved female figures. It is not directly related to the UK specifically, but discusses the "last 100 days" of WWI and the Allies). Thank you for all the videos you have posted, and for the research you're doing.
As this was mentioned in this video it’s not a celebration it’s a time of reflection. ❤
Yawn.......
@@stuzo666 Well that really added a lot, didn't it?
@@stuzo666 Awww! You sound bored, and yet here you are.
@@The_Butler_Did_It reflection on what, a pointless war, millions dead on both sides. We are now weak and being silently invaded now reflect on that as it's more poignant? Reflection on Dresden, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, my lai...massacres, pointless. How would you describe the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the war essentially over, mainly killing, maiming women and children..mmmm an act of legitimate war or a war crime ?
@@dotregan1506 no, not bored st all just replied to the other point
As a Canadian , we commemorate the same traditions as the UK.. we start wearing the poppy in late October up to Remembrance Day and we also have Remembrance Sunday as well. I think most Commonwealth countries do the same.
Remembrance Day is humbling and brings home the loss of so many young men, who had no choice but to leave their homeland and sacrifice their lives for what they believed, was the greater good. God bless, so many of us will reflect and mourn the loss of a generation, cut down in their prime, so that we all could have a brighter tomorrow.
Years ago I used to attend Discover Dogs in London, normally on Rememberance Sunday. When Big Ben chimed at 11:00 everyone stood, dogs sat and the hall - people and dogs observed the silence. A truly moving sight and sound, the dogs felt the change of atmosphere and observed the silence with us. Thank all the service people past and present for their service.
Animals have their Victoria Cross, the Dickin medal. They have saved many lives.
I am English and was living in the Netherlands, many years ago. I was wearing a poppy and walked into a shop. The assistent, said he had seen this for many years and did not understand why. I explained, his response was "good"! He respected and supported this annual rememberance!
Can I suggest that you look up the Menin Gate and the DAYLY ceremony?
The only time the ceremony did not happen was during the WWII occupation of Belgium.
It was transferred to London during the occupation
The poem that popularised the poppy tradition was writtened by the Canadian medical surgeon in the army - Lt.-Col. John McCrae.
it's not a celebration it's time to remember the the fallen
At 11 o'clock on 11th November we all stop what we are doing and hold a 2 minutes silence. Shops, factories, schools etc become silent as people pay their respects.
On Sunday people gather at churches and memorial sites to pay their respects.
We tend to have ..... Two Minutes Silence on Armistice day, 11am on the 11th November. It's a normal working day but schools, workplaces etc would stop at 11am for the 2 minutes silence. Then on the following Saturday we have the Festival of Remembrance which is a military concert with readings etc at the Royal Albert Hall. Then on the Sunday we have Remembrance Sunday with a veteran's march past and the Royal Family and leading politicians laying wreaths at the Cenotaph ......
My Great Uncle Tom fought in the Battle of the Somme, and miraculously survived. He brought back with him, a Poppy, pressed into his journal, and an Iron Cross taken from a fallen German soldier.
It's a really poignant reminder of what he, and the men he fought with, faced during those dark days; just looking at the poppy gives me chills
We also have a poem that is recited after the playing of the Last Post. It is “ They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old, age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them.,
We will remember them. Always.
Remembrance Day is not a celebration - it is an opportunity to remember and acknowledge all those who fought and died in wars for us during and since the First World War; the revival of the 2-minute silence at 11am on the 11th November is also an act of remembrance. This memorial is held as many of the soldiers who fell during the World Wars never came home - they were buried in cemeteries near where they fell, so it gave their families a focus to remember their loved ones ... 'Lest we forget'
This was not a good video, I'm afraid. So many important things left unsaid. I've no idea who this man is.
My Grandad fought in WW1 he fought in France then went to Mesopotamia ( Iraq) where he fought the Turks I have the book of his campaign on Ancestry so grateful for it, he got home badly injured but I am here to tell the tale, he was badly injured but survived. And he and my Nana whome he met at a local train station, they had 4 children and brought me up till I was ten ...miss him singing yo me so much I am 72 now, thank you Harrison (Harry ) Ord Oliver ❤️
My great grandad was killed in the battle for Basra in 1917 in Mesopotamia. He was 37 and left behind a wife and six children., He was buried over there.
Bless you and bless your Grandfather.
Actually, that lady in Georgia was inspired by John McCraes poem "In Flanders Fields" so the origin is Canadian. McCrae wrote the poem in 1915 (2 years before the US entered the war) and it immediately became popular in Britain.
Miona Michael and Anna Guérin, Miona started making them two days before the armistice, Anna about the same time, Anna is the one who brought the idea to the UK in 1921, Miona also wrote "We shall keep Faith" which is a fantastic piece of poetry in response to "In Flanders Fields"
Yesterday November 11 at 11am I was in supermarket and everything stopped for 2 minute silence, then tonight Saturday we have the festival of remembrance, and tomorrow (Sunday) is the remembrance service held at 11am at the cenotaph in London and most war memorials around the UK
John McCrae was from my home city in Canada. His home is a museum now. He wrote this poem after losing a close friend during the Second Battle of Ypres
On Remembrance Day we go about our normal business but will generally stop what we are doing for the two minute silence , the Sunday is for church and organisations to have their remembrance services which the public can join usually around a towns war memorial
Something else to Remember most Village, Towns and Cities had Families who Lost at Least one Family member,
Yes exactly the Pals regiments wiped out the young men in villages in WW1.
Hi Steve, you won't see many Americans wearing them but if you do notice they'll likely be Canadians, because it's a thing you'll see around. New Zealanders & Aussies also have Anzac day which you'll definitely find of interest, where they also commemorate their soldiers sometimes called diggers.
thanks for remembering us 🇳🇿💚
@@reneejones5675the English speaking peoples generally stand up for whats right and have given much, so how could we forget you!
@@gavinhall6040 its a shared effort.. thats the beauty of the commonwealth
hi Gavin only Aussies are called Diggers not us Kiwis. But yes we were the red poppy on ANZAC Day.
The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman region with a small minority Jewish population. The declaration was contained in a letter dated 2 November 1917 from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. The text of the declaration was published in the press on 9 November 1917.
Steve, there’s no “celebration” as such. We commemorate on the 11 th of November at 11 am the actual date and time of the signing. We then have services of remembrance on the Sunday. Poppies grew in abundance on the 1st World War battlefields and there’s a poem, In Flanders’s field the poppies blow etc. I think people get mixed up as they see festival of remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and the term festival maybe gives a false impression cause I’ve heard a couple of Americans wishing us a happy Veterans Day or happy Remembrance Day but that’s not the spirit in which it’s held. I don’t know if that makes sense or not,probably not 😮. Anyway good channel and I like your content 👍
The Poppy is a show of remembrance forALL conflicts, not just the The Great War.
For our tomorrow they gave their today.
Never forget.
Festival of remembrance is tonight at the Royal Albert Hall with the king and Royal family it's always very moving
Just to note, each nation has their own poppy and for the UK at least the leaf should be worn to the NNW position of the poppy to indicate the time of the armistice at 11:00 on 11/11.
Scottish poppy doesn't have a leaf.
And the Scottish Poppy has four petals. They are produced at Lady Haig's Poppy Factory in Edinburgh by veterans. Poppy Scotland (Earl Haig Fund) runs the Poppy Appeal each year in Scotland and helps veterans in Scotland while the Royal British Legion, although also in Scotland, runs the Poppy Appeal for the Earl Haig Fund elsewhere in the UK. Poppy Scotland is now part of the Royal British Legion group of charities, but Earl Haig was a Scotsman and the Earl Haig Fund has always been separated north and south of the Border, as have the poppies and Poppy Appeals.
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 - January 28, 1918) was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He is best known for writing the famous war memorial poem "In Flanders Fields"
If you want to see one of the best uses of Poppies in entertainment, you should watch the Over The Top scene from the UK TV show Blackadder Goes Forth. Its set in the trenches of WW1, its so moving makes me cry everytime I watch it.
John McCrea, author of "In Flanders Fields" was a Canadian doctor. The poppy, along with the Canadian Vimy Memorial, is featured on the back of the Candian $20 note. A few years ago, there was a controversy when staff at Whole Foods stores and Ritz-Carlton Hotels were told that they couldn't wear poppies at work because wearing poppies indicated support for a political cause. The decision initially came from US head offices, the companies were forced to backtrack after the bad publicity they got.
We celebrate Armistice Day with two minutes silence 11 am 11/11 this will even happen at supermarkets,train stations etc.Wreaths are often laid at local villages and towns.Saturday there is the Festival of Remembrance in the Royal Albert Hall with all the services and Royal family present.At the end the service men and women stand in the centre while poppies fall down from the ceiling covering them and representing one dead service man,it’s very emotional.On the Sunday we then have the national parade and laying of wreaths at The Cenotaph( national war memorial in London)The Royal family,governments of the UK and Commonwealth lay wreaths followed by a March pass of veterans.
Hi Steve, Rememberance day in the UK is the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th hour during a 2 minute silence where everything stands still.and the closest sunday is the rememberance service with the ex servicemen and the fallen poppies Take care and happy saturday 🏴😘
The time when the armistice was signed, ending more than 4 years of terrible conflict.
On 11/11 in Australia even the radio stations stop broadcast and do the silence and Last Post. Both Anzac Day and Remembrance day faced a slump amongst the young’uns, but it seems to have picked up again with ceremonies for both days getting more attendees. You can watch ceremonies for both events on UA-cam.
The Flanders Poppy fields, they became a symbol, for the fallen in those terrible trenches which saw so many thousands of dead; each poppy flower flowering anew came to represent the spirits of the soldiers. In death they liveth forever.
Yes we commemorate the war dead on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, which is the main event attended by the Royal Family. There is a two minute silence on both days at 11 am.
The poppy was blooming in Flanders when we lost so many troops, so we use the poppy to reflect on the enormous loss of lives, it symbolls 😊
It started with Canadian Dr. McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields. That is why Canadians and the Commonwealth countries wear a poppy for Remembrance Day. We wear the poppy a few days before Remembrance Day which is November 11. In Canada the poppy is treasured. The poppy seed can lay dormant for years until the soil is disturbed. Also watch Leonard Cohen's reading of In Flanders Fields. There are many ceremonies in Canada which remember November 11, Remembrance Day. This is the day that we remember the other wars and the people who served in the military.
The silence is held on 11th November at 11:00 and there are often some ceremonies. But because the 11th is often a work day, the main ceremonies are held on Remembrance Sunday. As well as the ceremony at the Cenotaph, most towns, villages and cities have ceremonies to place wreaths on their own memorials. Church ceremonies are also held. On the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday, the Festival of Remembrance is held at the Royal Albert Hall and the culmination of the Last Post and poppy drop is really very moving. The poppy sales in the UK are a means of raising funds for the British Legion which is a charity that seeks to help veterans and families of the armed forces who are in need.
As well as this most schools teachs students about WW1 and WW2 during the week of the 11th
Hi luv ya video. We in Britain take this subject very seriously. I've got a badge with a round reef of poppies and a silver spitfire in the centre. Which the spitfire helped win the battle of Britain. this is the best badge that I've seen. I'm British and proud to wear it. Look up the info on line. B Safe take care across the pond. From UK
Dr McCrae's poem begins, "In Flanders Fields the poppies grows, among the crosses row on row". It's a beautiful poem & has been adapted into several songs. Every village, town & city in the UK has a Cenotaph (War Memorial). On Remembrance Sunday there are Services of Remembrance all over the country. There is often a procession to the monument made up of retired Servicemen & women, Boys Brigade, Girl Guides, British Legion, local Clergymen & dignitaries, local people etc. They then gather around the Cenotaph to commemorate those who've died in conflicts & poppy wreaths are laid at the base of the monuments. Armistice Day is always observed on 11th Nov at 11am with a 2 minute silence to commemorate the ending of hostilities in WW1 & the cease fire. It's used to pay respects & acknowledge all subsequent conflicts that have occurred & to remember all who have lost their lives.
There is a purple poppy for animals. In the remembrance service today ,they will release loads of poppys to night at the end of the service representing lost lives
Living as I do by Salisbury Plain, I've never wondered 'why the poppy'. The Plain was chosen to expand as an Army training area because of it's similarities to the WW1 battlefields - and every year in the farmed fields, there are blood-red 'lakes' of colour. I know the French also use the Cornflower as a similar symbol - but I proudly wear an enamelled poppy that came from Thiepval.
I went to service yesterday morning at a monument outside my local library. The were service people and ministers from the both of the local local churches.
The Festival of Remembrance is on Saturday evening & the Cenotaph Ceremony on Remembrance Sunday at 11am.
Steve, you mentioned it has become "more popular" in the UK. The 11th November is a vastly important day to us, on the day and also in the several weeks prior. In every village, town and city.
The REMEMBERENCE FESTIVAL IS ON TONIGHT you could see it on the BBC1 TONIGHT here but earlier for you in the US 😊
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was the last Head of State to have served in the military in WWII. She was personally invested when she laid a wreath on a cenotaph. As a Canadian with one grandfather in both World Wars and the other in WWII I am very invested in the wearing of the Poppy. John Mcrae was a Medical Officer in the Canadian Army which I find odd he doesn't mention. He died of sickness and exhaustion not long after he wrote the poem. In Canada things are done at 11 am Nov 11th regardless of the day of the week. Because of Lt Colonel McRae's
Here is link to Remembrance 2022 Day ceremonies in Ottawa 2022
ua-cam.com/video/ge5R8dfjUFM/v-deo.html
It's a time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice especially for those of us who served in His Majesty's Armed forces, I have a shipmate who will be at The Servce of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and will march part the cenotaph with the rest of the Veterans, followed by a few beers and recall many memories with the odd tall tale. Celebration is an unfortunate term, We will remember them, Lest We Forget
Thank you for your content. Random fact? In the movie Gladiator Ridley Scott used about 2 million red paper poppies in the arena scene! If you look closely you can see the holes in them x this was his way of being British and honouring our fallen gladiators ‘lest we forget ‘
We dont celebrate the 11th as people are at work etc. No matter what job your in though you will be silent on the 11th for 2 minutes, then the big celebration is on a Sunday as people are off work and many go to church or statues in local areas to pay respects, you will see it up and down the country small towns to big cities people walking in suits etc to go and pay respects as local area.
John McCrae who wrote "in Flanders Field", was a Canadian. He would die in the war, but his poem would live on to be read aloud at just about every Remembrance Day ceremony here in Canada. (And elsewhere) He even had a Canadian Heritage Minute made about him. ua-cam.com/video/1ZDme90k5gY/v-deo.html
Many people here in the UK wear a poppy and many places do hold 2 minutes silence on the 11th of November at 11 am. If you want to research "Thankful Villages" are places that everybody who went to war came back. There are ridiculously few of these. So pretty much every village, town and city lost friends in the war.
The BBC did a programe on this once and one of the villages that did not lose anyone was called Little? Slaughter.
11+11+11=33 The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman region with a small minority Jewish population. The declaration was contained in a letter dated 2 November 1917 from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. The text of the declaration was published in the press on 9 November 1917.
I would recommend checking the Poppies at the Tower of London. Have a great day.
In the Royal Engineers everyday is Rememberence day I'm a British Legion Supporter every month I donate to their cause , have a look at the video of the unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey.
The Poppy is also worn on Rememberance Day in Canada, they are usually available to the public the first 11 days of November.
The artillery blasted the top soil from the fields of Northern France and Belgium leaving only marginally fertile sub-soil. When the fighting moved on, poppies grew over the old battlefields.That is why the poppy was adopted.
Tomorrow morning is
Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph. This is a very important event.
I always buy a poppy. They are on lampposts everywhere. We will never forget all the young men who died. Some who lied about their age, as young as 14.
We had a minutes silence last Friday at 11AM as the 11th of November fell on that day
Australians wear a poppy do hold 2 minutes silence on the 11th of November at 11am but the main day of remembrance is the 25 April or ANZAC DAY and we wear a poppy for that too
💜There is a recording of the guns falling silent at 11am on the 11th of November, on youtube..its all pounding guns, rockets n then second by second it gradually stops...then complete silence..then you can hear the birds start to sing. Think thats our moment of reflection at 11am on the 11th of November.
Also check out The Poppies at The Tower of London...breath-takingly beautiful..
Here in NZ we wear our poppies on ANZAC day - 25th April. A public holiday both here and in Australia - to remember those who died in the first world war... and those wars that followed. Although ceremonies are also held throughout the country on Remembrance Day as well. This morning, there was a ceremony, and three wreaths were placed on the ANZAC memorial in the tiny rural village I live in (pop: 900).
In Canada we observe Remembrance Day on the 11th, ie that's when the services are conducted. Also LCol John McCrae was Canadian.
Usually I would imagine every town or city in the UK has remembrance on the Sunday because on that day it is easier to have a service than mid week or on a Saturday. Usually there will be a parade and an outdoor service held in each town at their cenotaph
Armistice Day is remembered on a small scale, but it has started to grow in recent years. The Sunday ceremony is a much bigger event. I think moving the main act of remembrance to a Sunday was originally done because more people could attend, since they didn't need to take time off work.
I believe it was first moved to a Sunday during WWII so as to minimise any negative effect on wartime production. After the War, it was realised that the commemoration would need to include the dead of both world wars so should not necessarily be in November (as that date was specific to WWI). It was eventually decided it would be the second Sunday in November. At that point, the commemoration on Armistice Day, 11 November, was played down in favour of the Sunday one. In 1995, with the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII, the commemoration on Armistice Day itself began to gain currency again and a few ceremonies now take place on that day as well as a 2 minute silence in public places: schools, offices, supermarkets etc.
11 November is "Remembrance Day". The 2nd Sunday in November, the main observance, is "Remembrance Sunday". The whole period is sometimes referred to as "Remembrance Week".
The first cenotaph made from wood and plaster was put up as a temporary structure in 1919 to commemorate the first anniversary of the armistice. It was reconstructed in stone as a permanent memorial to the war dead due to popular demand a year later. The ceremonies have taken place in pretty much the same form every year except for during WW2. On the 90th anniversary in 2008, the last three survivors of WWI, all of them well over 100 years old, laid wreaths to remember their fallen comrades. By the 91st anniversary, there were none left
The main Day apart from 11 November is the March past of vets at the Cenotaph (as on the video) Where the Royal Family lay poppy wreaths and the vets march past and salute the Cenotaph ie Fallen Military ... It is on in the morning of November 13th this year ... ie TOMORROW ...... VERY MOVING TOO ... Try to catch this tomorrow, SUNDAY MORNING .... ... Paula UK x
We also use different colours of poppys. White is used as a symbol of passiveists. Purple to remember the animals that were used.
We don't celebrate, we commemorate. We observe the minutes silence on 11th November at 11 o'clock whether is work or home as a mark of respect. Remembrance Sunday, most people can go to their city, town or village cenotaphs to watch the ceremony take place.
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.
Hi Steve great video. The guy mentioned about other poppies and I thought it might be of interest that we have white poppies for pacifists and people will wear purple poppies for the animal dead, horses, pigeons, guard dogs etc etc.
I object to the wearing of white poppies because they don't provide for distressed veterans. and their families. Correct me if I'm wrong but all I can see that comes from the white poppy is a smarmy sense of superiority for the wearer, provides funds only for more white poppies, promotes the false idea that Red Poppies glorify war instead of shining a light on the horrors of war, and it detracts from sales of red ones that provide funds for distressed veterans, bursaries for the education for their children and provides affordable housing and many other good causes. The purple one I rather approve of.
No, the poppy started in Canada after Mccrae's friends published his poem after he threw it away. That poem was the most popular poem of its era. It had nothing to do with America except an American poet wrote a poem about "In Flanders Fields".
I'm surprised by the fact that they never mentioned that John Mccrae was a Canadian soldier who died in France during WWI a few years after his poem became world renowned. Have you ever seen the poppy on the Canadian quarter? You can't miss it - it's bright red!
Even elementary school children are expected to wear the pins but ours are better than the paper UK poppies. Ours are velvet.
And they have the black centers now. Previously, they were green because black was too expensive. The more you know!
I get my poppy every yr to remember , plus you are contributing to the royal British legion to help our service men and women in need . You should look into the story of the unknown warrior as well Steve . 🙂
The date of 11/11 at 11am is the Rememberence day but as this may fall on any day of the week the big celebrations take place on the nearest Sunday so that when poppy wreaths are laid at Cenotaph in London by monarch and other top people. Similar events happen at memorials in almost every town and village throughout the country. Great service at Albert Hall
may occur on Saturday including dropping a poppy petal from the ceiling for every person that
has been killed in service. Respect your Respect .
The Red poppy was used as emblem to remember the British and Commonwealth soldiers that died on the battlefields in France in World War 1, the red poppy represented the blood soaked battlefields, 880,000 troops died over the 4 years. The money from the sales of the poppies continues each year to go to Veterans of all subsequent wars. In the U.K they celebrate on Armistice Day on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th November in celebration of Peace at end of World War 1. In 1918.
For a stand still moment that will make you think, watch the final episode of Black Adder Goes Forth which has a stunning ending you will be stunned.