Veteran's Day

1918

The First World War didn't officially end until the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 though hostilities had in fact ended seven months earlier on the 11th November 1918.

1919

The first ever "Armistice day" (cessation of hostilities) was held the following year on 11th September 1919 when the then American President Woodrow Wilson declared:

"To us in America, the reflections of armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

On this first ever Remembrance Day, the soldiers who survived marched through their home towns and celebrated the peace and remembered the men and women who had died fighting for it.

1920

Millions of people all over the world continue to observe a minute of silence - in Britain and much of the Commonwealth a minute's silence is also observed on the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour on November 11th. However, it wasn't until 1920 that Britain and France began this tradition.

Remembrance Day as a Statutory Holiday

In 1938 Armistice Day was voted a federal holiday in America. Sadly the "war to end all wars" proved not to be and World War II began the following year. Armistice Day continued to be celebrated after WWII on November 11th.

Name Change to Veteran's Day

In gratitude to the sacrifice made in Emporia, Kansas the local people in 1953 renamed the holiday "Veterans' Day" in honor of their local veterans. The name soon spread and it was written into law when President Nixon pronounced the second Monday in November to be Veterans' Day in 1953.

Veterans' Day Today

There have been many more conflicts since WWII and now Veterans' day (Remembrance Day in the UK ) has come to signify the sacrifice made by soldiers in all conflicts such as those in Vietnam and Iraq.

American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the British Legion

Many support groups have formed made up of veterans. These charitable organizations raise money by selling paper poppies. The poppy is a symbol of Veterans' Day due to a horrific battle in a field of poppies called Flanders Field in Belgium. There is some debate, in the UK at least, as to the relevance of the poppy in the 21 st Century - yet it remains a powerful symbol of the sacrifice made by millions of men and women - Lest we forget.