We've created this poster to commemorate Remembrance Day. Display our poster to help remember and recognise all those who lost their lives in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping or humanitarian operations.
Wartime snapshot
At 11 am on 11 November 1918, an armistice signed 6 hours earlier between a German delegation and Allied representatives brought an end to fighting in World War I. Among those still in the forward areas were many who greeted the news with subdued relief and sorrow for the friends who’d lost their lives. Further from the front and around the world, there were joyous public celebrations but there were also countless moments of quiet reflection in the homes of the fallen. People in the Allied countries rejoiced but they also reflected on the terrible cost of victory.
In Australia and in other countries whose soldiers had fought on the Allied side, 11 November came to be known as Armistice Day, a day to pause and remember the dead. Sixty thousand Australians had lost their lives in the war, almost one in 5 of those who served overseas. From a population of just over 5 million, this was a devastating loss that touched families around the country.
After the war ended, Australian journalist Edward George Honey wrote to a London newspaper, proposing ‘five minutes of national remembrance’ in honour of the fallen. His suggestion was well received, but 5 minutes of silence was impractical. On 7 November 1919, King George V issued a proclamation calling for 2 minutes of silence at 11 am on 11 November. At the appointed hour, people around Australia and across the British Empire paused for the first time in common reflection, beginning an enduring tradition.
Two decades later the world once again went to war. After another 6 years of global conflict and the deaths of yet more millions, including 40,000 Australians, the Australian Government agreed to a United Kingdom proposal to rename Armistice Day. It has been known ever since as Remembrance Day. Initially observed in honour of the dead of both world wars, it has come to also include those who have lost their lives in all wars and conflicts since 1945.
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