Remembrance Day and the two minute silence have been observed since the end of WW1. We bow our heads in reflection, and remember those who fought for our freedom in both world wars.
We also mourn and honour those who lost their lives in more recent conflicts. With our troops on duty in trouble spots, throughout the globe, Remembrance is as important as ever.
The Poppy Appeal is the biggest of all the Legions fund raising activities, and the money supports the Legion’s welfare work for the Armed Forces community.
Though it runs all year, the main drive is from late October to Remembrance Sunday (2nd Sunday in November) which commemorates the end of the first world war, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, and those who have given their lives in the name of peace and freedom.
Legion members and the general public can support this worthy cause by making direct donations, or by purchasing a variety of Poppy memorabilia at the Legion, such as pins and key chains for example
On Hayling Island, the generous size of the grounds has allowed us to set aside an area for a Memorial of our own, where the ashs of former members now rest in peace. In 2012 the garden won the Silver Award at the “Havant Borough In Bloom” contest. Space is limited but requests can be made to the Branch Committee for the inclusion of a plaque and/or ashes of members who have passed away.
We on Hayling are also fortunate enough to have our own Cenotaph sited near to the Legion. It is picture below and this site is used for the services on Remembrance Sunday
We also have a second memerorial - on the seafront of Hayling dedicated to the COPP (pictured below). A smaller Remembrance Day service is held at the COPP on Remembrance Sunday after the main event
Its a memorial stone in honour of a covert World War II Royal Navy unit where the group trained.
The Combined Operations Pilotage and Reconnaissance Parties (COPP), set up in 1943 to improve invasion techniques, practiced in Hayling Island.
They consisted of 200 volunteers assembled by Lord Mountbatten.
His daughter Countess Mountbatten officially dedicated the 12-tonne granite stone.
