When is Remembrance Day 2023?

Remembrance Day 2023 will take place on Friday, 11th November. At 11am on the 11th November every year, a two minute silence is held nationwide as a mark of respect for lives lost in World War 1 and other wars.

Why do we celebrate Remembrance Day?

Every year, the UK marks Remembrance Day to pay respect to lives lost in World War 1 and other conflicts up to the present day. We pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and to the families of our military and civilian heroes. At Scotty's Little Soldiers, we also pay tribute to our bereaved military children who have experienced the death of their military hero.

When did Remembrance Day start?

Remembrance Day started in 1918 when the WW1 conflict came to an end at "the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month."

Why do we wear poppies for Remembrance Day?

The famous war poem 'In Flanders Fields' inspired the wearing of a poppy to commemorate Remembrance Day. It was written by Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, following the death of a close friend in Ypres in 1915. He was inspired to write the poem by the sight of poppies growing in battle-scarred fields.

The poppy has now been a symbol of Remembrance Day for over 100 years since the end of World War 1 in 1918. It is considered a a mark of respect for our Armed Forces, veterans, military families and those who have lost their lives while serving and in conflicts worldwide to the present day. It also acknowledges the innocent civilian lives lost and the contribution of our civilian services.

Why is it important to mark Remembrance Day?

While Remembrance Day started to commemorate those who lost their lives in World War 1, it is now an opportunity to pay tribute to our Armed Forces, veterans and military families. It is also a time when we honour the sacrifice of bereaved military children and young people supported by Scotty's Little Soldiers following the death of their military parent. Remembrance Day is also a time to acknowledge our civilian servicemen and women and the contribution they have made towards protecting our way of life.

How to announce a two-minute silence for Remembrance Day:

The two-minute silence is a time to pause, reflect on the service and sacrifices the Armed Forces make on our behalf.

Two tips for announcing a two minute silence in the workplace or community:

• Provide a reminder either the day beforehand asking for individuals to come together and mark the two-minute silence.
• Start the announcement process at 10:58am to allow time for everyone to arrive and fall silent.

Why support Scotty's Little Soldiers?

War widow, Nikki Scott, founded Scotty's Little Soldiers in 2010 in memory of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott. He was killed by an IED whilst serving with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment in Afghanistan. Nikki saw the devastating impact on her two young children and set up an Armed Forces charity to support military families.

The charity has gone on to support hundreds of British Forces children bereaved of a military parent. Scotty’s Little Soldiers provides its members with a variety of specialised bereavement support, to remind them they are not alone. The charity is on a mission to be supporting 1000+ bereaved military children annually by 2030.

Marching in memory of our military heroes

You may recognise our yellow and black scarves from the National Parade of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London. Each year, Scotty's Little Soldiers members march with pride in memory of their military hero. In 2019, we marched with 18 bereaved military children. This year, Scotty's has around 50 British Forces children and young people marching in the National Parade of Remembrance 2023. With their parents/carers and the Scotty's Team, that's a group of 105 marching in honour of our military heroes.

“When people think of Remembrance, I think they forget about all the people who are fighting and dying right now. People like my dad. Everyone thinks about big World Wars because that’s what we learnt about in school, but there are people still out there risking their lives today.” 

My dad was killed in action. This is what Remembrance means to me.

Ben O’Donnell was just a baby when his dad, WO2 Gary O'Donnell, was killed in action while on tour in Afghanistan. His father served with 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, and died on the 10th September 2008 while trying to disarm an IED in Helmand Province.