Remembrance Day in London

[rsquare]

I will be in London on November 11, and I'd like to get a sense of what will be closed that day.  In the US it is called Veteran's Day, and is frankly not such a big deal, although banks are closed and the mail is not delivered.  Memorial Day, May 30, comes closer to what I suspect Remembrance Day is in the UK, focusing on those who have died for their country.

Edited July 15, 2022 by rsquare

[Globaliser]

6 hours ago, rsquare said:

I will be in London on November 11, and I'd like to get a sense of what will be closed that day.

 

Basically. nothing.

 

You will find that much will come to a brief halt at about 11 am, because there is supposed to be a national 2-minute silence. This has been more observed in recent years than in the past, but that is generally about it on 11 November itself.

 

We have Remembrance Sunday on the nearest Sunday to 11 November (so in 2022 it will be 13 November), and that is the day for central London remembrance ceremonies during the morning. But even so, they do not really disrupt normal Sunday activities, because Sunday mornings are generally quieter anyway (for example, large shops can only open for six hours on Sundays and most choose to open from 12 noon).

[rsquare]

Many thanks for the information.  I'll be boarding QM2 on Remembrance Sunday.

[Harters]

And for those who may be around on Armistice Day, there is also a 2 minute silence at 11am. It is increasingly observed across the country. I try to observe it at my village's war memorial and don't bother going on the Sunday (which is , effectively, a religious event and one that only seems to be inclusive for the mainstream Christian religions). Armistice Day is entirely secular.

[Globaliser]

5 hours ago, Harters said:

And for those who may be around on Armistice Day, there is also a 2 minute silence at 11am.

 

Just for clarity, Armistice Day is on 11 November, which is the day that the OP was asking about.

[Crown Vic]

On 7/15/2022 at 5:48 PM, rsquare said:

Many thanks for the information.  I'll be boarding QM2 on Remembrance Sunday.

A coupla years ago, pre Covid, we boarded the QM2 in Southampton on November 11th for a west bound crossing to New York. At 11 a.m. precisely, everything and everybody in the terminal stopped for the two minutes of silence. Very touching and, IMO, as it should be. Cheers!

p.s. We were wearing our poppies.

[ladysail2]

15 hours ago, Crown Vic said:

A coupla years ago, pre Covid, we boarded the QM2 in Southampton on November 11th for a west bound crossing to New York. At 11 a.m. precisely, everything and everybody in the terminal stopped for the two minutes of silence. Very touching and, IMO, as it should be. Cheers!

p.s. We were wearing our poppies.

Good for you for observing the sacrifice that so many made. Being from Ontario, you know what happens here in Canada. I also observe the ceremonies and stop what I’m doing to honour those that served, and are serving.  You’re right, it is quite touching! 

[Harters]

I think my most touching Armistice Day (not a Sunday) was one year when we on holiday in South Africa. We were in a small town and I'd Googled to find that they had a war memorial, so we went to pay our respects at 11am. There was just one other guy there but it was as solemn a 2 minutes as you could imagine.

[Crown Vic]

4 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

Good for you for observing the sacrifice that so many made. Being from Ontario, you know what happens here in Canada. I also observe the ceremonies and stop what I’m doing to honour those that served, and are serving.  You’re right, it is quite touching! 

Ladysail2, well said. Our family was fortunate in that my Dad and all my uncles, who served in various campaigns, survived the war. November 11 is still an important day for many. Cheers!