There is I believe one serviceman still around from that conflict , we lost two great characters earlier this year.
The British losses from 1914 to 1918 were around 750 000 dead (with countless others dying prematurely from their injuries) and about 2 million wounded , all from a population of just over 40 million which meant that practically every family lost someone and had an injured relative.
In 1921 a charity called the British Legion was set up to give what help was possible to those affected , one of its key founders was Earl Haig, the ex Commander in Chief whom history has not treated fairly.The poppy became a symbol of remembrance because after the earth had been churned up by shellfire poppies grew in profusion.Ex servicemen were employed to make artificial poppies which were then sold and worn by people around Armistice Day, November 11.At 11 am on that date everything stopped, traffic came to a standstill , people stopped talking and just stood still for two minutes.
Other wars came and went and the work of the Legion (now the Royal British Legion) continued as did the dates for remembrance and the wearing of poppies.
