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It's Remembrance Day this week. And and extra special one for ex and serving members of the Royal Australian Navy. That's because this year Australia's Navy celebrates 100 years of service

Remembrance Day, of course, is the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. The conflict of Gallipoli, the Somme and Western Front ... arenas that so shocked the world people thought there would never be another conflict so terrible.

It was the Australian Navy that ferried the ANZAC forces to their doom and the same ships that carried home our wounded warriors. The tale of HMAS Sydney's brave engagement with SMS Emden is celebrated but there are lesser known stories of valour, some now lost to us forever with the passing of all Australia's WWI veterans.

The tradition of wearing red poppies on Remembrance Day has its origins in a 1915 poem by Leutenant Colnel John McCrae. He noticed that, amongst the devastation, spring caused small red poppies to spring up everywhere amongst the war ravaged towns, farms and forests. By this he was inspired to write the well known war poem, In Flanders Fields.

In Fladers fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.