As Remembrance Day arrives, we often hear the commemorative phrase “Lest we forget” as we remember fallen soldiers from World War I across the British Commonwealth.

The Great War, as the World War I is commonly referred to, is estimated to have contributed to the deaths of 40 million people worldwide, and is quite fairly seen as the bloodiest war in history.

The phrase encapsulates our desire to remember the past tragedy and sacrifice and ensure that such bloody catastrophe never happens again.

“Lest we forget” is often said along with the “Ode of Remembrance” by Laurence Binyons.

However, where does the phrase “Lest we forget” originate from?

Mirror Online breaks down the use of the historically iconic phrase.