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I will be at the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday, and plan to put markers in the Field of Remembrance for two men whose story we followed when we went on the TPYF visit to Thailand and Australia - Mr Peter Ramm and Mr Ronnie Graham. Both men were prisoners of war in the Far East in the Second World War, but died of illness in Thailand in the POW camps there.
Deanna - you asked about how France remembers their war dead. They too have a ceremony, but usually on 11 November, whatever day of the week that is (in Britain, we always commemorate our war dead on the nearest Sunday to 11th), and usually with a very formal ceremony in the middle of Paris. This year I believe the ceremony will take place at Verdun. Verdun is the most important battle of the First World War for the French - it's like the battle of the Somme is for the British, or Vimy for the Canadians. Look out for news of this on the 11th - I'm pretty sure that the BBC is going to televise it on that day, in the evening as well as during the day.

Best wishes for your assignment.

I'd like to know if the poppy an internationally adopted symbol of rememberance or is it only that of the Royal British Legion? If the latter then what symbols do other countries use?

In response to Andrew's question about the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance - I think that it is an internationally recognised and adopted symbol. The Canadians and Australians certainly use it in the same way that we do here in Britain. The actual design of it is different, but it's still a red poppy that people will buy to wear. It is such a powerful symbol as it represents the abundant number of poppies that grew in the battlefields of northern France and Belgium. I think that they grew in such numbers because the heavy shelling by the artillery during the battles dispersed poppy seeds further and wider than before.

To answer Deanna's question the French have a public holiday on Tuesday the 11th during which every area has a ceremony at their many memorials, these ceremonies are attended by veterans and people of all ages. This tour you are doing is a fantastic idea , having completed the tour earlier this year I can think of no better way of showing young people the real horrors of war.