Remembrance Day - Lest we Forget!

'Lest we forget' is a commonly used phrase for Remembrance Day in English speaking countries.

On Remembrance Day, 11th November, people in the UK wear a red poppy and come to a halt at 11 am to observe a 2 minute silence in respect and gratitude to those who gave their lives to protect our freedom. That is the very moment that World War I came to an end in 1918.

Last year due to the pandemic, events were severely curtailed and, yet, it seemed all the more poignant as we fought the unseen enemy! 

Poppy Day 

On Remembrance Day, November 11th, in schools, supermarkets and work places up and down the country people, wearing a red poppy, will halt and bow their heads in a two minute silence to honor the fallen.

This is the 100th year of the Royal British Legion who continually raise money for the Armed Forces community and the 'Poppy Day' appeal is the main fund-raiser. 

Last year poppy sellers were unable to be out on the streets but this year 40,000 collectors across the country will be back raising funds for the Poppy appeal.

It's not all serious, as fun events and challenges are also held to raise money for the fund.  

Services of Thanksgiving   

Services of thanksgiving and parades are held in every town and village on the closest Sunday to 11th November and, again, a 2 minute silence is observed. 

The Queen, the Prince of Wales and senior members of the Royal Family will lead the nation with the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London on 14th November.

Last year the annual march past was severely curtailed whereas in former years  veterans and service personnel are followed by up to 10,000 people in a moving 'People's Procession'. This commemorates and acknowledges the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian men and women involved in the 2 World Wars and later conflicts.  

All Saints Church, Brixworth

Remembrance Sunday is celebrated the world over but it is in small communities that the tragedy of War is still so tangible as family names who made the ultimate sacrifice are frequently repeated.    

In my own village over 300 people regularly take part in the morning parade and the church is full to over-flowing. It continues outside around the War Memorial when the Last Post is played in tribute to the millions who laid down their lives both at home and on the battlefield.

Church bells, all of which were silenced during the Great War, will peal out from this ancient Anglo-Saxon Church (built 680 AD) as they did in 1918 to celebrate peace.

The 6ft 'Tommy' (an affectionate term applied to the common soldier during WWI) and a specially commissioned bench, incorporating images of soldiers and poppies, were both installed in the Millennium Garden in 2018 to mark the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I. 

I am proud to show you photos of my village church All Saints, believed to be the oldest church in the country still in use. It is the heart of my village and where I was both christened and married. 

All Saints Brixworth, has been called "perhaps the most imposing architectural memorial of the 7th century surviving north of the Alps". 

Why the Poppy?

The poppy has a long association with Remembrance Day. Once the conflict was over the poppy was one of the only plants to grow on the otherwise barren battlefields.

Another beautiful bench with carved poppies was installed and built by a village friend and even some of the houses have been decorated with red poppies. A further testament to how much our community pays homage!

Thank you so much to Ian Topham, Joanna Longbottom, Bernard Lawes, Kath Cockerill and Monique Norton for the photos.