“Not for Ourselves, but for Others”
“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 dessimated 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) has been extended and typically now runs from the Feast of All Saints on 1 November through to Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November. This act of honour and memory is all the more poignant with the current news from Ukraine and the Middle East. 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.
This year we acknowledged the 80th anniversary of D-Day: on 6 June 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 the First World War; it is the tenth 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 30 th 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 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.
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, 9 November. 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.
Apart from promoting the Poppy Campaign in early November, the Legion manages properties in greater Durban offering subsidised accommodation to former servicemen and women. With the community of former servicemen and women dwindling with every passing year, the Legion will be transitioning to offer accommodation to men and women who share the philosophy, values and standards held by the SA Legion.
The Legion is regularly involved in community events to raise awareness and finances to support the work that they do.
For more information, or to purchase poppies or to offer to collect at a shopping certre in your area on Poppy Day, please contact Brad or Jeanette on 031 205 0578 or email admin@salegion.durban
Good to Know
1. Remembrance Day (Armistice Day) is always on 11 November – this year on Monday, 11 November.
2. Remembrance Sunday is the Sunday closest to 11 November, usually the second Sunday in November – this year on Sunday, 10 November.
3. Poppy Day is the day (always a Saturday) before Remembrance Sunday – this year on Saturday, 9 November.
Lest we Forget
“REMEMBRANCETIDE”
