EACH year we remember those who served our country during World War One.
But when is it that we should start wearing a poppy and when is Remembrance Day 2023?
Wearing a poppy is a symbol of Remembrance Day
When do we start wearing a poppy for Remembrance Day?
The Poppy Appeal takes place each year from the last Friday in October until November 11.
The British Legion raises funds for vulnerable people in the armed forces community, including veterans.
In 2023, Remembrance Sunday will take place on November 12.
There is no rule about wearing a poppy and the British Legion says you can wear a poppy any time you like throughout the year.
Many people tend to start wearing poppies on October 31 – which is 12 days before Remembrance Day, which is always on November 11.
Some others believe that poppies shouldn’t be worn until after Bonfire Night on November 5.
Donations tend to be given to volunteers selling poppies on the street, but money can also be given by phone, text message, online, as well as by post.
Why do we wear poppies?
The British Legion says the poppy is a “symbol of remembrance and hope”.
The reason of why we wear poppies dates back to the First World War.
In 1915, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae lost his friend in the battle of Ypres.
While he was grieving the loss of comrade Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, he spotted poppies growing in the battle-torn fields.
The sight inspired him to write In Flanders Fields, one of the most famous war poems of all time.
Anna Guérin was also promoting the idea of the poppy as the symbol of Remembrance at the time.
She came to Britain with her two daughters but when the First World War broke out, she moved to the United States where she immediately began fundraising for those made destitute by war.
By the end of 1920 she had been responsible for Poppy Days in several US states and was turning her attention further afield.
In September 1921 she arrived in Liverpool and set out for London, so she could persuade the British Legion to accept her idea.
In 1921 she did that and the first ever Poppy Appeal distributed nine million poppies, raising £106,000.
Following WWI, the poppy was then adopted as a symbol of remembrance.
When is Remembrance Day 2023?
Remembrance Day is always marked on November 11 – in 2023 it falls on a Saturday.
The day honours members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty.
A two-minute silence happens at 11am and is observed by schools, offices and churches up and down the country.
The tradition was first started by King George V in 1919 to mark the end of World War I.
Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice.
The tradition of Remembrance Day evolved out of Armistice Day.
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