Remembrance Sunday on 14 November 2021

Originally known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day commemorates the signing of the peace agreement that ended World War I at 11am on 11 November 1918. It is a time to remember and honour the memory of those who served, are currently serving, and those we have lost to the cause “Lest We Forget”.

Remembrance Sunday is a special day set aside to remember and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by all those who laid down their lives for peace and freedom in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts. It is held every year, at 11 am on the second Sunday of November.

A two-minute silence was held at 11am to remember the people who have died in wars. You will see poppies being worn or used as a symbol of Remembrance Sunday.  The reason poppies are used is because they are the flowers which grew on the battlefields of Flanders where the First World War was fought and where so many lost their lives.

The British Deputy High Commission Kolkata, like every year, organised the Remembrance Sunday Commemoration at the Cenotaph, Maidan today, to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives. 

British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata, Mr. Nick Low said: “They say a picture can say more than a thousand words.  Sometimes a short anecdote can do the same.  A few years ago I was organising an overseas visit for a group of British Members of Parliament.  The host country had offered an excellent programme in the second week of November.  Remembrance Sunday is the second Sunday in November.  The leader of the group looked at the programme and the date and shook his head.  “Nick, it’s a smashing programme.  But that’s the one day of the year that all of us must be in our constituencies.” The act of remembrance is a defining part of the British identity.  Like the Royal Family, the National Health Service, the BBC and, of course, like our Armed Forces to whom Remembrance Sunday is dedicated.  It binds the four nations of the United Kingdom together, it unites the different generations, it connects us with our past and it reminds us who we are.  It’s a very special occasion and we are better for it.”

“We have among us those who have given themselves to the service of their nation. We thank them and we salute them, as we salute those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom,” tweeted Mr. Low here.

A wreath laying ceremony took place at the Cenotaph today.

This event was attended by senior representatives from the Government of West Bengal, the Indian Armed Forces, West Bengal/Kolkata Police, Ex-Services Associations, Consular Corps, War Graves Commission, and members of the public and media.

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