At 11am on the 11th November 1918 the gunfire that had ceaselessly bombarded the Western Front finally fell silent. In the preceding four months the Germans had been forced back and were suffering heavy defeats. It was in November that the Germans called for a suspension in fighting to attempt a peace agreement- they accepted the Allied terms for unconditional surrender and with that the Great War had ended.

The eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month has become a significant date for all involved- and will be remembered always through the tradition of Remembrance Day.

The Remembrance Day Ceremony in London takes place at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. The ceremony, which is led by the Queen, offers remembrance to those who died in the World Wars and other national conflicts. It is a date of unity with the Queen, other members of the Royal Family and the heads of Britain’s political parties in attendance. Surviving veterans, representatives of the armed forces and their families stand for a two minute silence in thought for those who were lost. The Queen lays a poppy-wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph- as do the political and armed forces representatives and a short religious service is performed.

After the service the Queen departs to the National Anthem and the surviving veterans march past the Cenotaph to pay their respects the lost soldiers. Remembrance Day is a touching and important ceremony set against the magnificence of Whitehall and performed with the sincerity and solemnity of a nation still mourning it lost fathers.