With at least 108 million people killed in wars in the twentieth century alone, the 11th of November is a date on which millions of people stand together in silence, in remembrance of soldiers, animals and other people who fought in wars or helped to fight them in other manners.

Every year, St Catherine’s School Twickenham makes their way down to Radnor Gardens, along with Radnor House School. We stand together, as the headmistress and headmaster greet each other, and students and teachers of the schools recite poems, and responses for the occasion.

As we silently walk down the steps, we are given a programme of events. Other members of the community are also entitled to participate in the ceremony, as we stand together around the statue that has been there since the 1920s. The public work by the sculptor Mortimer Brown, is a meeting point for both schools. The monument consists of a bronze figure of a soldier on a stone plinth.

We stand for two minutes, to the silence of birds chirping in the trees, and nearby cars driving into the distance, and for once, your mind is at rest. In those two minutes you can forget about school, stress and your food tech homework that’s not done and is due for the next lesson. You can focus on what Remembrance Day has for you.

I often find that my mind wonders, and I think about my Grandpa. He fought in World War Two, as a driver of tanks. His friend would stand on his shoulders, and direct him which way to drive the tank. That all seems like fun, but sometimes the man standing on his shoulders would get shot, and would fall on top of him, which is not only a horrifying sight, but also extremely sad as a newly developed friendship is lost.

As the finishing note of The Last Post is played one last time, the schools stand quietly before erupting into their conversations about their day. The teachers direct students back to their classrooms. Despite the hustle and bustle of the school day ahead, both schools are reminded of the importance of wearing a poppy, and their ancestors who fought for their country.