Honouring and Saluting the Armed Forces
On Sunday, 4 November, Free State Rugby will be honouring and saluting the Armed Forces in commemoration of Remembrance Day on the 11th of November.
A procession by the SANDF, SAPS, Air Force, Traffic Department, Fire Department and Rescue Unit, which includes the SAPS Diving Unit, Dog Unit and Mounted Unit, will be lead around Toyota Stadium from 13:45 to 14:00. All vehicles participating in the parade, as well as a SANDF helicopter will be on display on the hockey pitch behind the main stand inside Toyota Stadium. The public are invited to come and have a look on what the Armed Forces are all about and enjoy the rugby on Sunday afternoon.
Gates open at 14:00 and kick-off for the Guinness PRO14 match between the Toyota Cheetahs and Munster from Ireland is at 16:45.
The SANDF Band will be providing entertainment at the match and the SAPD Dog Unit will do a demonstration during half time.
Tickets are only R40 for the main stand, R30 for the open stand and R20 for students and kids. Kids under the age of 7 can collect a free ticket from the gate.
Come and enjoy a special afternoon in the company of the Toyota Cheetahs.
What is Remembrance Day?
Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries.
Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. (“At the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.)
The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem “In Flanders Fields” written by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. After reading the poem, Moina Michael, a professor at the University of Georgia, wrote the poem, “We Shall Keep the Faith,” and swore to wear a red poppy on the anniversary.
The custom spread to Europe and the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth within three years. These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I; their brilliant red colour became a symbol for the blood spilled in the war.
In South Africa, Remembrance Day is not a public holiday. Commemoration ceremonies are usually held on the nearest Sunday, at which the “Last Post” is played by a bugler followed by the observation of a two-minute silence. Ceremonies to mark the event in South Africa are held at the Cenotaph in Cape Town, and in Pretoria at the Voortrekker Monument cenotaph and the War Memorial at the Union Buildings. Many high schools hold Remembrance Day services to honour the past pupils who died in the two World Wars and the Border war. In addition, the South African Legion of Military Veterans holds a street collection on the nearest Saturday to gather funds to assist in welfare work among military veterans
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