Remembrance Day is on November 11, 2024, and is observed to commemorate the sacrifices of all those who have served in the line of duty. Many towns and cities will host events and parades on Sunday, November 10, 2024. The easiest way to show your support is by purchasing a poppy, which can be worn in the weeks running up to Remembrance Day. However, the Royal British Legion says if you want to wear a poppy, you can wear it any time you like.
The Royal British Legion is the only place to guarantee you’re supporting Remembrance Day, and it releases several different designs each year, so you can choose a unique design or opt for a classic, simple poppy, and all of the proceeds go towards the Royal British Legion’s work in supporting the Armed Forces community.
This year, the Royal British Legion has multiple options via its official Poppy Shop as well as the official Royal British Legion shop on Amazon.
According to the Royal British Legion website: “100% of the profits from the Poppy Shop go towards funding the Legion’s ongoing work in supporting the Armed Forces community, serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.”
From special pins to jewellery, Express.co.uk has rounded up some of our top picks from the British Legion this year to commemorate Remembrance Day.
On an annual basis, Remembrance Day takes place on November 11 and marks the exact date World War I ended, at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918.
The National Service of Remembrance takes place at the Cenotaph in London on the second Sunday of November, which this year will be November 10.
The association between poppies and World War I originated from the bright red Flanders poppies which flourished and remained resilient amidst the destruction of landscapes during the war.
As explained on the Royal British Legion’s website: “Shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was moved by the sight of these poppies and that inspiration led him to write the now famous poem ‘In Flanders Fields.
“The poem then inspired an American academic named Moina Michael to adopt the poppy in memory of those who had fallen in the war. She campaigned to get it adopted as an official symbol of Remembrance across the United States and worked with others who were trying to do the same in Canada, Australia, and the UK. Also involved with those efforts was a French woman, Anna Guérin who was in the UK in 1921 where she planned to sell the poppies in London.
“There she met Earl Haig, our founder, who was persuaded to adopt the poppy as our emblem in the UK. The Royal British Legion, which had been formed in 1921, ordered nine million poppies and sold them on 11 November that year.”
