Remembrance Day 2008 - Britain Pays Tribute To War Dead

APPA NEWS, LONDON-UK 08/11/08 - Sunday 9th of November, Britain stops in a national two minute silence tribute to remember all those who fell in the line of duty.

A sad day doubtless, but also a profound tribute to the huge sacrifice of the Armed Forces in previous wars and more poignantly perhaps, the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, where so many have died and many more have returned home ill or disabled.

Across the entire country, multiple ceremonies will mark a solemn occasion of remembrance and gratitude, all of which will be presided by official ceremonies at the London Whitehall Cenotaph, presided by Her Majesty the Queen.

This year also marks the 90th Anniversary of World War I (1918 - 2008).

The two minute silence, which will take place at Big Ben’s 11th hour strike, is traditionally observed everywhere across Britain. Airports, train stations, shops, cafés, in the streets, churches and peoples’ homes… Silence! And remembrance! And deep gratitude! And heartfelt solidarity to their families, relatives and friends.

Remembrance Sunday, always in November, but also always somehow everyday in our collective memory.

In our hearts, lies a red poppy. Ultimate symbol of remembrance, a tradition inherited from a realisation atthe battlefields of Europe during the Napoleonic wars, the First World War and again the Second World War. When earth is revolved by the furious clash of battle, the red poppy is the only flower capable of surviving. And so, red poppies flourished in their millions in the fields of Europe, growing wildly around the fallen corpses of tens of thousands of soldiers. Blood red poppies, grow also in our mourning hearts, as we wear them in our lapels.