"REMEMBRANCETIDE"

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 11 November, when we pay tribute and honour those men, women and animals who have served in wars, and those who have died in the line of duty.

Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed since the end of the First World War 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 the First World War - and, subsequently, wars in general.

In recent years, recognising that war is still a reality in many parts of the world, the Season of Remembrance (or Remembrancetide) typically now runs from the Feast of All Saints on 1 November through to Remembrance Sunday, usually the second Sunday in November. This act of honour and memory is all the more poignant with what is happening in Ukraine and the Middle East, uprisings in Europe and violence in our streets at home. As our world finds itself once more engulfed in major wars and horrific conflict, it is appropriate to pause to remember those people and animals called up to serve.

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 dependents by way of housing, pensions, employment and general welfare. It is apolitical, non-sectarian, non-racial, non-sexist and non-partisan. Established in 1921, th SA Legion is the oldest military veterans' support association in the country.

For more information, or 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.