This year’s commemorations to remember the war dead involved the recently restored Big Ben striking 11 times.
To commemorate Armistice Day, a two-minute silence was observed around the country. On the anniversary of the First World War’s end, the nation observed a moment of silence at 11 a.m. in remembrance of those who lost their lives in armed combat.
The National Memorial Arboretum’s Armistice Day service was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester in Staffordshire. In Portsmouth, London, Edinburgh, and Belfast, moving services were held.
As he presented a wreath at the Euston war memorial, Sir Keir Starmer lowered his head. In front of the central London station, the Labour leader stood among railroad workers and veterans.
Explainer
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.
Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919,[1] the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. In most countries, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of First World War hostilities.
Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning.
(“At the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour or 11:00 am.) The First World War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.[2]
The tradition of Remembrance Day evolved out of Armistice Day. The initial Armistice Day was observed at Buckingham Palace, commencing with King George V hosting a “Banquet in Honour of the President of the French Republic”[3] during the evening hours of 10 November 1919.
The first official Armistice Day was subsequently held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace the following morning. During the Second World War, many countries changed the name of the holiday. Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations adopted Remembrance Day, while the US chose Veterans Day.[4]
