Remembrance Sunday is approaching. Have you got your Poppy?

What is Remembrance Day?

Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states and some other countries, since the end of the First World War to remember the members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty.

Remembrance Day (Veterans Day in the United States) is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning.

“At the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.

The memorial evolved out of Armistice Day, which continues to be marked on the same date. The initial Armistice Day was observed at Buckingham Palace, commencing with King George V hosting a “Banquet in Honour of the President of the French Republic during the evening hours of 10 November 1919. The first official Armistice Day was subsequently held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace the following morning.

Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom (UK) honours the heroic efforts, achievements and sacrifices that were made in past wars. The main observance is on the second Sunday in November, but 2 minutes of silence is also made on November 11. Remembrance Day is an observance and not a public holiday in the UK, though many businesses may temporarily pause activity at 11am for 2 minutes of silence on November 11.

The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem “In Flanders Fields”.  These poppies, the seeds of which can lie dormant for years, until the ground is disturbed, bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I; their brilliant red colour became a symbol for the blood spilled in the war.

Artificial poppies were first sold in Britain in 1921 to raise money for the Earl Haig Fund in support of ex-servicemen and the families of those who had died in the conflict. They were supplied by Anna Guérin, who had been manufacturing the flowers in France to raise money for war orphans. Selling poppies proved so popular that in 1922 the British Legion founded a factory – staffed by disabled ex-servicemen – to produce its own. It continues to do so today.

Other charities sell poppies in different colours, each with their own meaning but all to commemorate the losses of war. White poppies, for example, symbolise peace without violence and purple poppies are worn to honour animals killed in conflict.

The poppy continues to be sold worldwide to raise money and to remember those who lost their lives in the First World War and in subsequent conflicts.

Here at Masterflex, we will be wearing our poppies while continuing to manufacturer high-tech flexible hose, ducting and connecting systems.

Today, our products are in use throughout industry, helping to solve our customer’s many different application requirements. Masterflex Technical Hoses Limited can also design and manufacture a hose or ducting product to a customers’ specific requirement.

For more information on our product range contact Masterflex UK

Masterflex Technical Hoses Limited
Units G & H, Prince of Wales Business Park,
Vulcan Street, Oldham, OL1 4ER
Tel: 0161 626 8066     Fax: 0161 626 9066

Email: info@masterflex-uk.com or www.masterflex-uk.com