11th November

History

11 November: a day to remember

Every year on 11 November.

On 11 November, France stops and remembers the end of the First World War. Why this date? What happens in France, and in other countries?

The flame on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Photo: Jebulon, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Part 1 - Why 11 November?

The First World War was terrible. Millions of young men died. On 11 November 1918, at 11 o'clock in the morning, the guns finally stopped.

1. 1914-1918. The First World War. About 1.4 million French soldiers die. Villages and families all over France lose sons, brothers and fathers.
2. 11 November 1918, 5:15 in the morning. Germany and the Allies sign the armistice (l'armistice) at Rethondes, near Compiègne. The guns stop at 11 o'clock.
3. 11 November 1920. France buries an Unknown Soldier (le Soldat inconnu) under the Arc de Trio mphe in Paris. Nobody knows his name. He represents all the soldiers with no known grave.
4. 24 October 1922. A law makes 11 November an official day of remembrance in France.
5. 11 November 1923. The Flame of Remembrance (la Flamme du souvenir) is lit on the tomb. It is rekindled every evening, even today.
6. Since 2012. The day also honours all the soldiers who died for France in every war: les morts pour la France.

11 November 1918, 11 o'clock: the armistice. The First World War is over.

Part 2 - How does France remember?

• It is a public holiday (un jour férié). Schools, offices and most shops are closed.
• There is a monument aux morts (a war memorial) in almost every town and village. It has the names of the local soldiers who died.
• At 11 o'clock, mayors and veterans put flowers at the monument aux morts. The band plays La Marseillaise.
• In Paris, the President rekindles the flame on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe.
• People wear a blue cornflower: le bleuet de France. It is the French flower of remembrance.

Did you know?
Before 2012, 11 November was only about the First World War. Now it also honours all the French soldiers who died in other wars.

Le bleuet de France (left) and the British remembrance poppy (right). Photos: Florian Pépellin (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Philip Stevens (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

Part 3 - And in other countries?

Other countries remember the same day, with different names and different symbols.

• In the United Kingdom, people wear a red poppy. At 11 o'clock on 11 November, the country stops for two minutes of silence. The big ceremony is at the Cenotaph in London. The nearest Sunday is Remembrance Sunday.
• In the United States, 11 November is Veterans Day. It honours all the Americans who served in the armed forces.
• In Canada and Australia, it is called Remembrance Day. People wear poppies too.

The poppy became the British symbol after the war. Poppies grew on the battlefields of Flanders, in Belgium. A Canadian soldier wrote a famous poem about them: "In Flanders Fields".

The worksheet - Now it is your turn

Activity A - Key words

Match the French words (1-10) with the English words (a-j).

1. l'armistice
2. le monument aux morts
3. le Soldat inconnu
4. la flamme
5. le bleuet
6. un coquelicot
7. le souvenir
8. morts pour la France
9. un jour férié
10. un ancien combattant

The English words, in disorder:

• a. a war memorial
• b. a veteran
• c. the armistice
• d. remembrance, memory
• e. the flame
• f. a public holiday
• g. the Unknown Soldier
• h. a cornflower
• i. died for France
• j. a poppy

Activity B - True or false?

1. The First World War ended on 11 November 1918.
2. The armistice was signed in Paris.
3. The Unknown Soldier is under the Arc de Triomphe.
4. In the United Kingdom, people wear red poppies.
5. Veterans Day is the American name for 11 November.

Activity C - Complete the sentences< /h3>

Use these words: silence, bleuet, monument, flame, signed.

1. The armistice was ______ at 5:15 in the morning.
2. The ______ of Remembrance is rekindled every evening.
3. In France, the flower of remembrance is the ______.
4. In Britain, at 11 o'clock, there are two minutes of ______.
5. A ______ aux morts has the names of the soldiers who died.

Activity D - Talk about it

1. Is there a monument aux morts in your town or village? What can you read on it?
2. In France, 11 November is a public holiday. Is that a good idea? Why?
3. Why do we say "never forget" about wars? Say it in two English sentences.

Finished the lesson? Test yourself!

Ten questions, picked at random from fifty-one. Every try is different. No names, no accounts - just for you.

If the quiz does not appear on your screen, open it in a new tab.

Sources

• Gouvernement français, Le 11 novembre, jour de commémoration
• Royal British Legion, The two-minute silence
• US Department of Veterans Affairs, History of Veterans Day
• Imperial War Museums, Why we wear poppies on Remembrance Day

Facts checked 13 November 2026. English lesson for 4e and 3e, level A1+ to A2+.

Answers (for the teacher - a long scroll down!)

• Activity A: 1-c, 2-a, 3-g, 4-e, 5-h, 6-j, 7-d, 8-i, 9-f, 10-b.
• Activity B: 1 true, 2 false (Rethondes, near Compiègne), 3 true, 4 true, 5 true.
• Activity C: 1 signed, 2 flame, 3 bleuet, 4 silence, 5 monument.

A note on dates
The Unknown Soldier was chosen and buried in November 1920-January 1921; the official ceremony under the Arc de Triomphe was 11 November 1920. Keep it simple in class: 1920.