Remembrance_Cross_Laying_on_Poppies_MOD_45153382

A remembrance cross is a small wooden cross used to remember the sacrifice of the armed forces in the United Kingdom, particularly during Remembrancetide, the period of the annual

Poppy Appeal A remembrance poppy is an artificial flower worn in some countries to commemorate their military personnel who died in war. Remembrance poppies are produced by veterans' associations, who exchange the poppies for charitable donations used to g ...

. Remembrance crosses are produced by the

Poppy Factory The Poppy Factory is a factory in Richmond, London, England, where remembrance wreaths are made. It was founded in 1922 to offer employment opportunities to wounded soldiers returning from the First World War, creating remembrance poppies and ...

in Richmond and Lady Haig's Poppy Factory in Edinburgh, which also produce

remembrance poppies A remembrance poppy is an artificial flower worn in some countries to commemorate their military personnel who died in war. Remembrance poppies are produced by veterans' associations, who exchange the poppies for charitable donations used to gi ...

and wreaths. A remembrance cross is usually decorated with a remembrance poppy and the phrase "Remembrance" or "In Remembrance", The remembrance cross employs an explicitly Christian symbol, linking the loss of a deceased soldier with the sacrificial death of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

on the cross. Other tokens of remembrance are now also made in a variety of shapes for other religions, including a

Star of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...

for the Jewish faith, a crescent for the Muslim faith, an Indian

Khanda Khanda may refer to: Places * Khanda, Sonipat, a very big and historical village in Sonipat district of Haryana, India * Khanda, Jind, a village in Jind district of Haryana, India * Khanda Kheri, a village in Hansi Tehsil of Hisar district of ...

used for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, and a plain shape for "no faith". Remembrance crosses and other tokens of remembrance are often left at

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

s or

war grave A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

s. Each year, in the eight days from the morning of the Thursday before

Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...

until the evening of following Thursday, plots in the

Field of Remembrance The Field of Remembrance is a memorial garden organised annually by the Poppy Factory in Westminster, London. For eight days, from the morning of the Thursday before Remembrance Sunday until the evening of following Thursday, the lawn of St Ma ...

in Westminster are planted with hundreds of remembrance crosses and other tokens of remembrance. After the Field of Remembrance closes, the tokens are collected and burnt, and the ashes are scattered at the First World War battlefields in northern France and Belgium. File:Poppies_Mounted_on_Wooden_Crosses_for_Remembrance_Day_2003_MOD_45143469.jpg, Remembrance crosses File:Westminsterabbeypoppies.jpg, The Field of Remembrance outside Westminster Abbey File:Field of Remembrance Westminster Abbey - geograph.org.uk - 1572813.jpg, Massed tokens of remembrance and a large wreath at the Field of Remembrance File:AJEX,_Westminster_Abbey_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1580201.jpg, Tokens of remembrance in the plot for the

Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women The Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (AJEX; prior to 1939, the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen, and from 1928 to 1939, the Jewish Ex-Servicemen's Legion) is a non-political charitable organization that focuses on issues affecting ...

, AJEX, at the Field of Remembrance File:Ypres Salient 17.jpg, Jewish tokens of remembrance among remembrance crosses at Tyne Cot cemetery File:Ypres Salient 18.jpg, Muslim crescents and remembrance crosses left as tokens of remembrance at a war memorial

References

Veterans Minister Supports Poppy Charity’s Work To Help Injured Veterans Mend Their Lives
Confederation of Service Charities, 27 September 2011
Remembrance crosses and other tokens of remembrance
sold by the Royal British Legion Commemoration The Royal British Legion