Remembrance Day 2025

Published: 4th November 2025

When the generation of men and women first adopted the wearing of a poppy in the aftermath of the First World War they were doing so for many reasons. For some veterans the poppy had been a symbol of new life on the battlefield, while the inclusion of a pressed poppy in a letter from a loved one at the Front was frequently the only gift those at home would receive, signifying a connection that was being strained by war. The selling of the poppy from the start was a way to raise much-needed funds for the millions of veterans who had returned home but were injured or unable to rebuild their lives, as well as for the support of families where the breadwinner had not returned. That last part is possibly the most poignant – not the raising of funds, but the need to do so, which was an acknowledgment that war had wreaked so much damage to millions of lives.

It is said that one of the reasons we teach children about the past is to learn lessons from it. It is assumed that knowing those lessons will mean that they will not be repeated. Yet the lessons of the damage that war brings seem never to have been learnt – or they have been ignored. Why then still wear the poppy and carry out the rituals of Remembrance – instead why not just have a social fund for the victims of war?

It could be that while the lessons have been ignored, the desire to learn them has not. Every year those of us in Britain, the Commonwealth and parts of Europe are forced at this time to reflect on the impact of war, to remember those who are dealt its blows through political decision-making and to question what meaning those rituals of Remembrance have. By keeping this pattern there will eventually be a generation who decide that the cost must be stopped and they will only wear the poppy, red or white, as a symbol of a lesson learned not a lesson ongoing.

Therefore, we will continue to teach about war and conflict, with its impact as well as its themes, providing names and real experiences to those that took part and were affected, ensuring that the human reality of war is taught alongside the political dimensions.

This Remembrance, reflect on what can be done to help those who are the victims of conflict and what may be done to help bring an end to the conflicts of today, and explore whether the past can provide insight into what could be done rather than merely lessons that can be ignored.

Resources for Primary

Resources for Secondary

General resources