ON the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in 1918, the First World War ended, writes Terry Sutton.

Civilians wanted a way to remember the people who had given their lives for peace and freedom.

An American teacher, Moina Michael, inspired by John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields, began selling poppies to friends to raise money for the ex-Service community.

She became affectionately known as the Poppy Lady, and so the tradition began.

The first official Royal British Legion Poppy Day was held on November 11, 1921. Since then, the Poppy Appeal has been a key event in the nation’s calendar.

A few weeks ago, I was getting ready to go out with my wife, Wilma.

Our grandchildren were at our home with their parents, when my granddaughter, Georgia, asked where we were going.

I told her we were going to a concert by the Band of the Parachute Regiment, to kick off the Poppy Appeal in Colchester, before Remembrance Sunday.

“Is that not about a lot of dead people?” she asked.

Shocked, her mother, Carole, said, “no, far from it. It is also about remembering those in need, who have been wounded, and their families, who still live with the physical and mental scars”.

To the public, it may seem it is just another charity asking for money, but there is a lot involved in organising the Poppy Appeal.

A local agent assists us in finding a vacant shop. This year, we have a small unit in the arcade near Sainsbury’s.

The organiser of this year’s appeal, Barney Lough-ran, has arranged for the collection boxes to be distributed throughout Colchester, in businesses, shops and schools.

A team of volunteers also sells poppies door-to-door.

The Poppy Appeal shop also sells large poppy wreaths and small wooden crosses, which people can place at Colchester War Memorial, on or before Remembrance Sunday.

Most people have heard of Britain’s involvement in military conflicts, such as the Falklands War and the 1990s Gulf War.

What the younger generation does not realise is that soldiers, sailors and airmen, from Britain and the Commonwealth, have been fighting small wars to defend Britain’s shrinking empire since the end of the Second World War.

As a garrison town, Colchester has sent service personnel to conflict areas for many decades. From the insect-ridden jungles of Malaya, to the frozen hills of Korea, from the African bush of Kenya, to the rain-soaked hills of the Falkland Islands, and in the back streets of Aden and Cyprus, soldiers have been defending British interests for the past 64 years.

They have, and in some cases continue to serve in India, Palestine, the Suez Canal zone, Borneo, Vietnam, Radfan, Oman, Dhofar, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan.

We are more aware these days about the lives lost and those who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Reporters join the troops on patrol in Afghanistan, sending back images of the dangers they face on a daily basis.

We see coffins, draped with the Union Flag, containing the bodies of those who lost their lives, arrive back in Britain for a solemn ritual through the streets of Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, before they are released to their loved ones.

The Royal British Legion will, along with many other service charities, help those grieving families.

We will also continue to help those who have been wounded, both physically and mentally, from all conflicts.

The Royal British Legion may be the custodian of remembrance, but it is beholden on the nation to honour and remember.

Many service personnel have settled in and around Colchester over the past decades, and I look forward to seeing them and their families at Colchester War Memorial on Sunday.

If you have pride in the nation, then be proud to wear a poppy and remember.