Remembrance Day to be celebrated in Second Life

Remembrance Day is the Royal British Legion's annual ceremony remembering those who have fallen in battle across the many conflicts Britain has been involved in over the years. It is marked each year by the wearing of poppies, a tradition that started in the First World War with the deaths on the fields of Flanders that grew huge crops of poppies. More recently, the nation largely observes a two minute silence at 11am on the 11th day of the 11 month - the moment that, in 1918 the armistice that ended the war was signed.

This year, in association with Rivers Run Red, The Royal British Legion is bringing Remembrance Day to Second Life, with a rebuilding of the Cenotaph and a walk through poppy fields (SLURL) to reach it. There is also a machinima which Moo will be dicussing more fully in her Cinemassively column soon. The full details and press release are under the fold.

Cenotaph Rebuilt In Second Life®
For the second time in its history, the Cenotaph has been rebuilt.
The first was in 1920, when the plaster-and-wood Cenotaph hastily erected a year earlier was replaced with the existing Portland stone version familiar to millions.
And now, the Cenotaph has been rebuilt in the virtual world of Second Life.
The Cenotaph is the centrepiece of The Royal British Legion's Garden of Remembrance, which will provide visitors from around the world with an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made in the cause of freedom and the human cost of war.
An exact replica of the structure designed by Sir Edwin Luytens for ceremonial use in Whitehall, the virtual Cenotaph is surrounded by a field of poppies representing the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces from World War One to the present day.
"We are thrilled to be updating the traditional message of Remembrance through the contemporary medium of Second Life," said The Royal British Legion's Director of Communications, Stuart Gendall.
"We expect that this will reach younger people and motivate them to participate in real-life Remembrance activity – but it also offers a valid alternative for those who remain in-world."
The Garden of Remembrance was developed through the generous voluntary contribution of Rivers Run Red, the world's leading agency in the virtual world market.
Also, the eminent broadcasters Jeremy Thompson, Julie Etchingham and Eamonn Holmes have generously donated their time for readings and narration.
We were pleased to offer this project to The Royal British Legion, said CEO Justin Bovington. "We all know we live in a time of increased glorification of war, our virtual world project enables the online generation to participate in this unique virtual environment of pause and reflect."

Residents and visitors to Second Life can find the Garden of Remembrance by visiting the "poppy 2" island in-world to begin their journey to the Cenotaph, positioned at the centre of the nine island build. At 11:00 a.m. GMT on November 11th, there will be a Two Minute Silence in-world to replicate observances around the country.


The Royal British Legion is in the midst of its annual Poppy Appeal, with a target of raising £27.5 million for it to continue its work safeguarding the welfare, interest and memory of the Armed Forces, past and present, and their families.

For more information on the Royal British Legion and the Remembrance Garden, please contact:
Robert Lee – 020 7302 7141, rlee@britishlegion.org.uk