This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month," in accordance with the Armistice, signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. ("At the 11th hour" refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am) World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.
The day was specifically dedicated by King George V on 7
November 1919 as a day of remembrance for members of the armed forces who were
killed during World War I. This was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two
ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917
The red remembrance
poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the
poem "In Flanders Fields". These poppies bloomed
across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders
in World War I, their brilliant red color an appropriate symbol for the blood
spilled in the war.
Canada
In Canada, Remembrance Day is a public holiday and federal statutory
holiday, as well as a statutory holiday in all three territories and in six of
the ten provinces (Nova Scotia, Manitoba,
Ontario,
and Quebec
being the exceptions). From 1921 to 1930, the Armistice Day Act provided that
Thanksgiving would be observed on Armistice Day, which was fixed by statute on
the Monday of the week in which 11 November fell. In 1931, the federal parliament adopted an act to
amend the Armistice Day Act, providing that the day should be observed on 11
November and that the day should be known as "Remembrance Day".
Kenya
In Kenya, the Kenya Armed Forces Old Comrades Association
(KAFOCA) was established in Kenya immediately in 1945 to cater for the welfare
of the Ex-servicemen of the First and the Second World Wars. The KAFOCA and
Kenyan government recognize Remembrance Day.
