Sunday 11 November 2012 – Free admission to all
Remembrance Sunday holds a special significance in the IWM Duxford events calendar.
On this day, we offer free admission to all and we very much hope that people will take the opportunity to visit IWM Duxford on the day when we remember members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives in active service.
At 11am, a two-minute silence will be observed across the museum, starting and finishing with a traditional gun salute by The Garrison.
Remembrance Sunday at IWM Duxford
This will be followed at 12.30pm by a remembrance service in the Conservation Hall in AirSpace, where there will be standard bearers from the Royal British Legion and local air cadets.
There will also be the opportunity to post your own personal message of remembrance onto our Wall of Remembrance, which will be in the Conservation Hall throughout the day.
We’ll be encouraging families to learn about remembrance together with activities throughout the museum. In particular, we’ll be looking at the poppy, the striking symbol of remembrance that resonates back to the First World War.
In AirSpace between 10am and 2.30pm we’ll be making poppies and either wearing them with pride or attaching them to a large Flanders Field frieze. In Land Warfare between 10am and 2.30pm, assembled poppies can be attached to a mural depicting modern warfare. You can also add your personalised message poppy to the friezes in AirSpace and Land Warfare.
Remembrance Sunday at IWM Duxford
The Remembrance Poppy was originally designed so that it could be assembled with just one hand. The provision of work for disabled ex-Servicemen was as important to the Poppy Appeal as raising funds. The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Factory started in 1922 with five disabled ex-servicemen. It now employs 50 disabled ex-servicemen in the manufacture of poppies, wreaths and remembrance crosses.
In both AirSpace and Land Warfare, we’ll be deconstructing poppies and trying to reconstruct them using only one hand.
In Land Warfare between 11.30am and 3.30pm, Royal Anglian Regiment veterans will be chatting to visitors about their experiences of war and conflict.
Remembrance Sunday at IWM Duxford
In the Battle of Britain exhibition we’ll be presenting a display about the work of the Royal British Legion. From here, we’ll also be handing out trails that you can follow to explore the range of memorials at the museum.
We hope you can join us at IWM Duxford to remember those who gave their lives in conflicts past and present and to actively commemorate those serving men and women who are no longer with us.
