What is Remembrance Day?

November 9, 2020

According to the Royal Household:

On the second Sunday of each November, The Queen leads the whole nation in remembering those who have died in world wars and other conflicts. In a ceremony at the Cenotaph, the focal point of the nation’s homage, Members of the Royal Family unite with others in thousands of similar ceremonies across the UK and worldwide in holding two minutes’ of silence at 11am.

The Queen and other Members of the Royal Family join political leaders, current and ex-members of the Armed Forces and World War veterans at the foot of the Cenotaph memorial. As the bells of Big Ben toll eleven, and a single gun on Horse Guards Parade is fired, two minutes of complete silence is held in remembrance of all lost in war. Once a further round of gunfire signifies the end of the silence, the bugle call ‘The Last Post’ is played. Her Majesty and others, including High Commissioners from the Commonwealth, lay wreaths of poppies at the foot of the Cenotaph.

After a short religious service and another bugle call (‘The Rouse’), the National Anthem is sung and The Queen departs. War veterans then march in a slow procession past the Cenotaph to show their respects. A Member of the Royal Family takes the salute as the war veterans finish their route.

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