The simple poppy has become a worldwide symbol of Remembrance, and many schools encourage study into what the poppy symbolises in the build-up to each year's national Remembrance commemorations on 11 November. Now there is even a purple poppy, worn to remember animals that served and died in war.
What better way to engage pupils than to delve into a specific chapter of our military heritage – in this case the inspirational stories of Airborne forces and their wartime sacrifice in the fight for freedom?
Access to records has never been easier, giving unprecedented pathways to names and faces of those lost in conflict. Paradata, the Digital Archive of the Airborne Assault Museum at Duxford offers historical information about British Airborne Forces.
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The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists the fallen Commonwealth servicemen and servicewomen buried throughout the world, including in the Arnhem Oosterbeek Airborne Cemetery.
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The stories of the five men awarded the Victoria Cross for their bravery at Arnhem will certainly inspire.
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The American Battle Monument Commission has a similar mission to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Follow these links to view videos on American Battle Monument Commission cemeteries at Cambridge (England), Maastricht (Netherlands) and in Normandy (France):