Remembrance Day Quotes for a Family Member Who Served

The short answer: the line most families reach for on Remembrance Day is from Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen": "At the going down of the sun and in the morning / We will remember them." For a single relative, it often works better to make it personal: "Grandad, Royal Navy 1943–1946. At the going down of the sun, we remember you." Below are the classic verses, then short lines sorted by who you are remembering and where the words are going.

Remembrance Day falls on 11 November in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and across the Commonwealth, with two minutes' silence at 11 a.m. In the UK, the main services are held on Remembrance Sunday, which in 2026 is 8 November. The day was created to remember those who died in war. Many families also use it to remember a relative who served, came home, and died years later — a grandfather who never talked about it, a mother who was a wartime nurse. Both are covered here.

In the United States, 11 November is Veterans Day, which honours everyone who served, living or not; the American day for the war dead is Memorial Day in May. For that, see Memorial Day quotes.

The Classic Lines

These are the words read at services every year. They are old enough to be in the public domain, and almost everyone at a service will recognise them.

From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon (1914) — the fourth stanza is known as the Ode of Remembrance:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

At many services the reading ends with the gathering answering: "We will remember them."

From "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae (1915):

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row

The poem is the reason the red poppy became the symbol of remembrance.

"Lest we forget" comes from Rudyard Kipling's poem "Recessional" (1897). It is the phrase most often printed on war memorials, poppy wreaths and cards.

A note on using the Ode for someone who came home: "They shall grow not old" was written for the young who died in battle. If your grandfather lived to ninety, the second half — "At the going down of the sun and in the morning / We will remember them" — fits better than the first.

For a Grandfather or Grandmother Who Served

• "Grandad. Royal Navy, 1943–1946. At the going down of the sun, we remember you."
• "He never talked about the war. We will talk about him."
• "She served so that we would not have to. We have not forgotten."
• "Grandma, Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Quiet about it to the end. Lest we forget."
• "You came home, and made a home, and made us. We remember."
• "Your medals are in a drawer. Your stories are in us."

For a Father or Mother

• "Dad, Royal Canadian Regiment. Your service did not end when you came home. We see that now."
• "Mum served as a nurse when she was nineteen. Today we wear a poppy for her."
• "Two minutes of silence, Dad. You always stood for it. Now we stand for you."
• "You taught us what duty meant without ever using the word. We remember."
• "The bravest thing my father did was come home and be gentle."

For Someone Who Died in Service

For a relative who died while serving, recently or long ago, the classic verses carry the weight of the day. A short personal line beside them is often enough.

• "Private Thomas Hale, 1921–1944. Twenty-three for ever. We will remember him."
• "He was our great-uncle. We never met him. We still remember him."
• "Your name is on the memorial in the square. Your face is in every family photo after."
• "You did not grow old. We did, and we carried you with us."
• "Lest we forget. We have not."

If someone in your family died in a recent conflict, the day can be harder than any other in the year. There is no obligation to post anything. Attending a service, or standing at 11 a.m. wherever you are, is enough.

Short Lines for a Poppy Wreath or Card

Wreath cards are small. One line, a name and the years usually fit.

• "In proud and loving memory."
• "Remembered with pride, missed with love."
• "Lest we forget — from all the family."
• "Forever in our thoughts on this day."
• "For Grandad, and all who served beside him."

For more on wording small cards, what to write on funeral flowers has examples by relationship.

For a Social Media Post

A post on the day does not need to be long. A photo of them in uniform, their name, where and when they served, and one line:

• "My grandfather, Sgt. William Davies, 1919–2008. Served in North Africa and Italy. Two minutes of silence for him and everyone he served with."
• "Every year Dad wore his poppy from the first of November. This year I am wearing it for him."
• "She drove ambulances in London during the Blitz and spent the rest of her life saying it was nothing. It was not nothing."

If you want the photos and the stories to stay somewhere after the feed moves on, a memorial page keeps them in one place. Relatives can add what they know — the regiment, the ship, the story told only once at a wedding. How to record a family history helps you ask the right questions while there are still people to ask.

A Few Practical Notes

• Get the details right. Rank, regiment, ship and dates matter to people who served. Check discharge papers or service records before printing them on anything. Family stories drift over the years.
• Use the name of the service correctly. "Royal Air Force", not "the British Air Force"; "Royal Australian Navy", not "the Australian navy".
• Medals. In the UK and Commonwealth, relatives often wear a family member's medals on the right breast at Remembrance services; the veteran's own medals are worn on the left. Customs vary by country and organisation, so check with the local branch of the veterans' association if you are unsure.
• If they were buried with military honours, the details are often in the funeral records. For US families, military funeral honors and veteran burial benefits explain what applies.

If Remembrance Day Is Also an Anniversary

For some families, November is the month someone died, not only the month of the poppy. If the two fall close together, it can help to keep them separate: Remembrance Day for their service, the anniversary for the person. Remembrance quotes for anniversaries and first death anniversary ideas are for that second day.

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GetMemorial helps families build beautiful, lasting online memorials in minutes — a permanent home for their service photos, their stories and the words the family leaves for them each November. Build yours at GetMemorial.com.