A memorial in Stellawood Cemetery where there are many military graves. Picture: Illa Thompson
Around the world, people are encouraged to wear poppies for the first fortnight in November to remember all those who have been affected by war and conflict.
Armistice Day – better known as Remembrance Day – is commemorated on November 11, when men, women and animals who have served in wars and those who have died in the line of duty are honoured.
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed since the end of World War I in 1918, when at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month the guns on the Western Front fell silent after four years of horrific fighting.
The carnage of “the war to end all wars” came to a close, leaving millions dead and even more suffering the after-effects.
Strangely, on the decimated battlefields, grew fields of red poppies, carpeting the graves of the fallen. This vivid image has led to the poppy becoming the enduring symbol of Remembrance of World War I – and subsequent wars.
Wit war is still a reality in many parts of the world, the Season of Remembrance (or Remembrancetide) has been extended and typically now runs from the Feast of All Saints on November 1 until Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November.
As parts of the world are again engulfed in major wars and horrific conflict, it is appropriate to pause to remember those people and animals called up to serve.
This year we acknowledged the 80th anniversary of D-Day: on June 6, 1944, when Allied forces hoped to liberate Western Europe from Nazi control with the largest invasion fleet in the history of warfare which landed on five beachheads in Normandy, France.
2024 also marks 110 years since the outbreak of World War I; it is the 10th anniversary of the end of combat operations by British Armed Forces in Afghanistan, the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, and the 30th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.
In South Africa, Remembrancetide commemorations are spearheaded by the South African Legion – a national organisation, part of a world-wide family that addresses the needs of ex-service personnel and their dependants by way of housing, pensions, employment and general welfare.
It is apolitical, non-sectarian, non-racial, non-sexist and non-partisan. Established in 1921, the SA Legion is the oldest military veterans’ support association in the country.
The Legion, a non-profit organisation, obtains permission from the municipality to raise funds by public collection in and around Durban and environs on Poppy Day, the second Saturday in November – this year, on Saturday, November 9. The Legion depends on volunteers to “sell” poppies to be worn as a visual reminder of those who have perished and suffered in war. Typically red poppies signify lives lost, and purple poppies signify animals who gave their life in the line of duty.
The Legion is regularly involved in community events to raise awareness and finances to support the work that they do.
For more information, to purchase poppies or to offer to collect at a shopping centre in your area on Poppy Day, please contact Brad or Jeanette on 031 205 0578 or email admin@salegion.durban
Remembrance Day (Armistice Day) is always on 11 November – this year on Monday, November 11.
Remembrance Sunday is the Sunday closest to 11 November 11, usually the second Sunday in November – this year on Sunday, November 10.
Poppy Day is the day (always a Saturday) before Remembrance Sunday – this year on Saturday, November 9.
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