Lest We Forget in West Sussex this Armistice Day
Public services and parades have been cancelled this year due to the ongoing pandemic.
Last updated 11th Nov 2020
Today marks 102 years since the guns fell silent at the end of the First World War, which claimed the lives of 886,000 British troops according to The National Archives.
While we can't pay our respects in the usual manner this year because of coronavirus, we're encouraged to still fall silent at 11am.
Alexander Owen, Head of Armed Forces Engagement at The Royal British Legion, said: "Normally we'd have hundreds of thousands of members of the armed forces veterans, serving people and their families at war memorials up and down the country.
"This year it's not going to look like that. We're asking people to remember from home by downloading and donating to get a digital poppy that they can print and put in their window to show that solidarity. But also, at 11'o'clock on Armistice Day, get out on your doorstop and observe a two minute silence."
We're asked to pay our respects, not only those who fell during the First World War, but to every soldier who has served or is still serving for this country overseas, or in the effort against coronavirus.
Alexander continued: "Whether it be in the Gulf, in the Falklands or my contemporary which is Afghanistan, we'll be thinking of them too. We're also thinking about those giving up things to protect us on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic as well.
"There are still sacrifices being made by our young soldiers, sailors and airmen today. Whether it is being away from their family to help build a Nightingale hospital, risking their own health to operate mobile testing centres, or just the hard work over a weekend delivering PPE to hospitals.
"They are there amongst us doing amazing things."
Alexander described Armistice Day as one of the most important days in the calendar for those who have served and their families, and with parades and public services cancelled this year, he thinks it's even more vital we play our part.
He concluded: "It's up to us as a nation, as a national community, to make them feel like we have their back and that every poppy counts."