50 Fun Facts About Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day marks the end of hostilities in which war?

It recalls the end of First World War fighting at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

What flower is traditionally worn for Remembrance Day?

The day is also known as Poppy Day because of the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy.

In Barbados, the Remembrance Sunday parade is held at which Bridgetown site?

A gun salute, wreaths and prayers are offered at the Cenotaph in the heart of the square, with the Governor-General and Prime Minister attending.

Which 1919 agreement signed on 28 June formally ended the First World War?

The armistice had only paused fighting; it initially expired after 36 days and had to be extended several times.

Which king hosted the banquet that opened the first 11 November commemoration in 1919?

He entertained French president Raymond Poincaré at Buckingham Palace on the evening of 10 November 1919.

Which country marks 11 November as Veterans Day rather than Remembrance Day?

The US renamed Armistice Day in 1954 at the end of the Korean War to honour all veterans.

Which bugle call traditionally opens the period of silence at a Service of Remembrance?

The silence is followed by Reveille or The Rouse, and the service ends with the Ode of Remembrance.

The word cenotaph comes from Greek meaning what?

Cenotaphs originated in ancient Greece, built when a body could not be recovered after battle.

Who designed the Cenotaph on Whitehall in London?

The original 1919 version was built of wood and plaster for a victory parade; the permanent Portland stone memorial followed in 1920.

What material is the permanent Whitehall Cenotaph built from?

Lutyens added entasis, a subtle curvature, but otherwise changed little from the temporary design.

The 1920 unveiling of the Cenotaph coincided with the burial of whom in Westminster Abbey?

King George V unveiled the memorial on 11 November 1920 as the unidentified serviceman's coffin passed on its way to the Abbey.

Which Canadian physician wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields"?

He wrote it on 3 May 1915 after presiding over the funeral of his friend Lieutenant Alexis Helmer.

"In Flanders Fields" was first published in which London magazine?

It appeared on 8 December 1915; the magazine changed the end of the first line from "grow" to "blow".

McCrae's friend Alexis Helmer was killed in which 1915 engagement, prompting the poem?

The battle saw one of the first chemical attacks in warfare, when chlorine gas was released on 22 April 1915.

What poetic form is "In Flanders Fields" written in?

The poem is written from the point of view of the dead, who call on the living to carry on.

Which American academic vowed to always wear a red poppy after reading McCrae's poem?

She had taken leave from the University of Georgia to volunteer with the YMCA and wrote her own reply poem, "We Shall Keep the Faith".

Which Frenchwoman, "The Poppy Lady from France", organised the first Poppy Days?

She used silk poppies made by widows and children of France's devastated regions and later persuaded Field Marshal Haig and the British Legion.

In which year was the first British Poppy Day held?

The British Legion was so underfunded that Guérin paid for the poppies herself and was reimbursed afterwards.

In which English town is the Royal British Legion's Poppy Factory?

About 50 people, mostly disabled ex-servicemen, work year-round there; some 48 million poppies shipped in 2010.

Scottish poppies are made at a factory in which city?

Lady Haig's Poppy Factory produces a curled four-petal poppy with no leaf, unlike the English design.

What do the French wear in place of the poppy to honour their war dead?

The blue cornflower is France's remembrance emblem; 11 November is a national holiday there and in Belgium.

New Zealanders mostly wear remembrance poppies on which day?

The 1921 poppy shipment from France arrived too late for 11 November, so they were handed out on 25 April 1922 and the date stuck.

In which city did the two-minute silence originate in 1918?

Mayor Sir Harry Hands instituted a daily pause signalled by the Noon Gun on Signal Hill; a three-minute trial was judged too long.

Who proposed to the British government that the silence become an annual Empire-wide observance?

His son had been killed in France in 1917; the idea reached King George V, who put it to the War Cabinet in November 1919.

Which cabinet minister was the lone dissenter when the War Cabinet approved the silence in 1919?

The King's message to "all my people" was published in The Times on 7 November 1919.

When is the UK's main observance, Remembrance Sunday, held?

From 1939 the silence was moved to the Sunday nearest 11 November so it would not interrupt wartime production on weekdays.

How many ceramic poppies filled the Tower of London moat in 2014?

Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red used one poppy for every British Empire fatality of the First World War.

In what year did Canada's Parliament rename Armistice Day as Remembrance Day?

Nanaimo MP Charles Dickie campaigned for the change, which also fixed the observance on 11 November.

Where is Canada's federal Remembrance Day ceremony held?

The governor general presides, and the Silver Cross mother lays a wreath on behalf of all bereaved mothers.

Which Canadian provinces do NOT treat Remembrance Day as a statutory holiday?

The Royal Canadian Legion opposes a national holiday, arguing schools in session can teach the day's meaning.

Canadians traditionally begin wearing the poppy starting when?

The first poppy is customarily presented to the Governor General by the Legion's Dominion President.

Which day has largely eclipsed Remembrance Day as Australia's main war commemoration?

Anzac Day, 25 April, is a public holiday in every state; Remembrance Day is not.

Who wrote "For the Fallen", the source of the Ode of Remembrance?

He composed it on the cliffs of north Cornwall in 1914, just seven weeks into the war; the fourth stanza was written first.

In which newspaper was "For the Fallen" first published?

It appeared on 21 September 1914, written in honour of British Expeditionary Force casualties after the retreat from Mons.

At what time was the 1918 armistice signed at Compiègne?

It took effect at 11 am, though one US intelligence officer recorded shelling continuing until nightfall.

Italy marks its 4 November armistice anniversary under what name?

It commemorates the Armistice of Villa Giusti with Austria-Hungary and the completion of Italian unification.

Germany's national day of mourning, held two Sundays before Advent, is called what?

It has been observed since 1952; the armistice anniversary itself is not marked in Germany.

The Netherlands holds its Remembrance of the Dead on which date?

Two minutes of silence are observed at 8 pm, and Liberation Day follows on 5 May.

What flower do Serbians wear as their symbol of remembrance on 11 November?

Serbia only made Armistice Day a statutory holiday in 2012.

The 1987 Remembrance Sunday bombing that killed eleven people took place in which town?

The Provisional IRA attack was widely condemned, and attendance at remembrance events by both communities rose afterwards.

Which Dublin church hosts the Remembrance Sunday service the President of Ireland attends?

Ireland's own National Day of Commemoration is held in July, near the anniversary of the 1921 truce.

Veterans Affairs' program to teach young people about remembrance is called what?

Its mission is to help young and new Canadians understand what those who served stand for and sacrificed.

Canada's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed at the National War Memorial in which year?

Since then the public has placed their poppies on the tomb after the official ceremony ends.

What did the Royal Mint issue for Remembrance Day in 2014?

It was designed by engraver Laura Clancy for the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Hong Kong stopped observing Remembrance Day as a public holiday after what event?

The Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association still holds a Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Central.

Which British Overseas Territory sent the first colonial volunteers to the Western Front in 1915?

Bermuda had more people per capita in uniform in the Second World War than any other part of the Empire.

How were the two minutes of the 1918 South African daily pause dedicated?

Trams and taxis stopped and men removed their hats in what was described as a world first.

Which US ex-servicemen's group patented the "Buddy Poppy" in 1924?

The VFW ran the first veterans' Poppy Day Drive for Memorial Day 1922 after the Legion briefly switched to the daisy.

Which US grocer briefly banned staff poppies at its Canadian stores in November 2020?

It reversed the decision within days after complaints from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others.

How many jets did Air Canada decorate with the poppy in 2007?

The livery was a partnership with the Royal Canadian Legion, which trademarks the poppy image in Canada.