Veterans' (Poppy) Day

At 0500 Z the morning of 11 Nov 1918, an armistice was signed in a private railway car in the Compiegne Forest, by General de Division Ferdinand Foch (for the Allies, General de Division is his rank, 'Supreme Allied Commander, Marshall of France' is an award) and Herr Matthias Erzberger (for Germany, he was a politician). The armistice ended fighting on the Western Front and with it, WWI. Fighting ceased six hours after the agreement was signed, hence the "11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" marks the end of the war and is now observed as Remembrance Day in most of the British Commonwealth, but also as Poppy Day, Armistice Day, and Veterans Day. World War I was formally ended by the Treaty of Versailles, 28 Jun. 1919. Gen Foch advocated the very harsh terms imposed in the Armistice and Treaty in an effort to make Germany unable to attack France "ever again". After the treaty was signed, Foch (who was described as having "the most original and subtle mind in the French Army") is said to have remarked after the Treaty of Versailles, "This is not a peace. It is an armistice for 20 years". That same day, Charles I of Austria, who was also Charles IV of Hungary (what was formerly known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire) "renounced participation" in state affairs but did not abdicate. Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany (who had "unconditionally" supported whatever the Austro-Hungarians wanted to do) had abdicated the day before.



Because the United States entered the war late, and did not contribute the massive numbers of ground troops generated by the 5 major powers (Central Powers = Germany & Austria-Hungary, Allies = England/Commonwealth & France plus the US & others later on), and the Russians (nominally Allies, but kinda separate) WW I casualties in the US were not felt as keenly as was the case in Europe. Military deaths totaled about 9.7M (Allies-3.9M, Central-4.0M, Russians 1.8M) with an additional 6.8M civilian casualties, mostly from starvation. Furthermore, note that the great majority of military casualties came from the male, 17-30 age group, so there was no baby boom following WW I. Despite the fact that WW II killed more than 6x the number of WW I, if you go up to the Tooele Cemetery you will see that the monument contains nearly as many name for WW I as for WW II.



Some examples of combat losses



Battle of the Somne, 1st of Jul to 13th of Nov 1916: 624,000 casualties Allied Powers and 595,0000 casualties Central Powers. The English alone lost 58,000 on the first day, with roughly 1/3 killed outright. The opening day of the battle on 1 July 1916 was the single, highest one-day combat loss in the history of the British Army. Because of the composition of the British Army, at this point a (regional) volunteer force with many battalions comprising men from specific local areas, these losses had a profound social impact and have given the battle a lasting cultural legacy in Britain. The casualties also had a tremendous social impact on the Dominion of Newfoundland, as a large percentage of the Newfoundland men that had volunteered to serve were lost that first day.



Gallipoli, 15 Dec 1915: ~250,000 casualties on each side (UK and Turks). That's a total of half a million men.



1st Ypres, 19th of Oct to the 22nd of Nov 1914: ~135000 casualties on each side, 15-20% outright dead. In German, "Kindermord bei Ypern" = "Massacre of the Innocents of Ypres" due to the large % of recruits and reservists in that battle.



2nd Ypres, 22nd of Apr to 25th of May 1915: ~70,000 Allies, ~35,000 Central



During the Second Battle of Ypres a Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2 May, 1915 by an exploding shell. His friend, a Canadian military doctor Major John McCrae, was asked to conduct the burial service owing to the chaplain being called away on duty elsewhere. It is believed that later that evening John began the draft for his famous poem 'In Flanders Fields'.



In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.



We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.



Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.


Hence the British observance of Remembrance or Poppy Day.