The Government has scaled back events and urged the public to mark Remembrance Sunday from home next month due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time in the Cenotaph’s 100-year history the service in Whitehall will be closed off to members of the public. A limited number of people – including armed forces veterans, members of the Royal Family and international leaders – will be permitted to pay their respects on November 8.
The open-air ceremony usually draws around 10,000 members of the public who join leading figures in two minutes’ silence at 11am.
A poll of more than 3,000 Express.co.uk readers has found the overwhelming majority believe annual services around the country should not be cancelled.
The survey conducted on Tuesday October 27 between 11.27am and 8.30pm asked 3,357 Express.co.uk readers, should Remembrance Day services be cancelled this year?
A huge 84 percent (2,815) believe Remembrance Day services should not be cancelled and voted ‘no’.
Just 15 percent (499) said annual services up and down the country should not go ahead and voted ‘yes’.
Meanwhile, one percent (84) remained unsure and voted ‘don’t know’.
A number of Express.co.uk readers let their feelings known in the comments section of the poll.
One reader said: “Remembrance WILL be observed. We will remember!”
A second user wrote: “The day we stop remembering our true history is the day we start repeating the mistakes of the past without the benefit of the lessons learned in the past!”
The RBL’s director of fundraising Claire Rowcliffe said: “Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly makes running the appeal more difficult, the additional hardships it has brought about means our work is now more vital than ever.
“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on people’s livelihoods and way of life, leaving some in the armed forces community in dire need of urgent help and support.”
She added: “Every poppy makes a difference to the lives of our armed forces community.
“Whilst you may have to do something different to support the Poppy Appeal this year, every poppy counts so we’re asking people to please support us in any way you can.”
