Thousands of people across the world gathered in capitals, beside monuments and in front of their leaders to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
Services of remembrance were held in Australia, New Zealand and Commonwealth nations, as tens of thousands of people paused to reflect on the innumerable lives given to a conflict a century ago.
Some 12,000 people, including veterans and serving soldiers, gathered for a national ceremony of remembrance at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Commemorations started in the UK at dawn with hundreds of bagpipers across the country playing a lament at 6am.
In Paris, at the biggest of the events marking the occasion, over 100 world leaders and dignitaries walked towards the Arc de Triomphe to stand before the grave of the unknown soldier.
French president Emmanuel Macron made a speech warning against the dangers of nationalism, in what was interpreted as a veiled criticism of US President Donald Trump, who was among the gathered dignitaries.
Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin and Justin Trudeau were also present.
"Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism," Mr Macron said.
"Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. In saying 'Our interests first, whatever happens to the others,' you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: Its moral values."
In the UK Prince Charles laid a wreath at the cenotaph in London on behalf of his mother.
The Queen watched from a nearby balcony, flanked by the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall.
In an historic first Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, also laid a wreath during the ceremony.
It is the first time that a German representative has done so.
Officials said that Mr Steinmeier's presence during the ceremony was a sign of the friendship that now exists between Germany and Britain.
Shape Created with Sketch. Centenary of Armistice – in pictures Show all 30 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Centenary of Armistice – in pictures 1/30 The moat of the Tower of London filled with thousands of lit torches as part of the installation 'Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers', marking the centenary of the end of the First World War Reuters 2/30 Poppy tributes outside Liberton Kirk in Edinburgh PA 3/30 36,000 leaf-shaped messages are hung from St. Patrick's Cathedral ceiling in Dublin, remembering the 36,000 Irish men and women who died in World War I PA 4/30 Colour Sgt Paul Harris of the 3pwr reservists salutes beneath a wooden sculpture of a First World War horse in the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral in Kent following a service of dedication for their Field of Remembrance PA 5/30 Staff from Cardiff Castle dressed in period WWI dress, look around the newly opened Commonwealth War Graves Commission replica cemetery and exhibition, which has been installed at the castle to mark the centenary of Armistice. The 330 headstones placed in the courtyard represent the more than 30,000 Welsh men and women who gave their lives during the First World War PA 6/30 The Weeping Window poppy installation, by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper, is pictured outside of the Imperial War Museum in London, ahead of Armistice Day. Weeping Window is a cascade comprising several thousand handmade ceramic poppies seen pouring from a high location to the ground below AFP/Getty 7/30 Yeoman of the Guard light the first torches Getty 8/30 Three men take a moment to look at the Lions of the Great War monument in Smethwick, West Midlands. The 10-foot high bronze figure of a Sikh soldier is the UK's first statue of a World War soldier from South Asia, and commemorates 100 years since the end of the war PA 9/30 Veterans attend the opening of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA 10/30 Chelsea Pensioner Roy Palmer, aged 79, in his ceremonial uniform as a retired member of the British army with 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign to commemorate the upcoming centenary of the end of World War I. World War I ended on November 11, 1918 and 'There But Not There' is the 2018 Armistice project for the charity Remembered AP 11/30 Yeoman Warders, commonly known as 'Beefeaters' light the first of thousands of flames in a lighting ceremony AFP/Getty 12/30 Sixteen thousand poppies that have been installed on the exterior of Liberton Kirk in Edinburgh to mark the centenary of armistice at the end of the First World War PA 13/30 Soldiers from 3RSME, the Royal School of Military Engineering, look at a piece called 'Lost Soldiers', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Montgomery Square in Canary Wharf, London, as part of its Remembrance Art Trail to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War PA 14/30 The Swindon Borough Council Tommy silhouette on display inside St Augustine's Church, Wiltshire, where 1300 poppies hang from the roof to represent the lives lost in the local area during World War I PA 15/30 93-year-old veteran Elizabeth Mitchell lays a wreath at the opening of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA 16/30 'The Haunting', a six-metre high sculpture depicting a weary First World War soldier, on display in St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, after it's official unveiling to commemorate the centenary of the ending of World War I PA 17/30 Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Gregory, Master Gunner of St James's Park, reads a section from the Royal Artillery's Armistice Roll of Honour, containing the names of their fallen World War One comrades, in the Morning Chapel inside Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire PA 18/30 Volunteers light torches that are part of the installation 'Beyond the Deepening Shadow' at the Tower of London Reuters 19/30 A soldier from 3RSME, the Royal School of Military Engineering, looks at a piece called 'Lost Armies', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Jubilee Park in Canary Wharf PA 20/30 A Chelsea Pensioner stands with 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign AP 21/30 Luke, Nathan and Frankie from Hornchurch and Upminster Sea Cadets, look at a piece called 'ANA', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Adams Plaza in Canary Wharf PA 22/30 Thousands of flames in the dry moat of the Tower of London PA 23/30 The figure of a First World War soldier sits on a central reservation in Woolton Village, Liverpool marking the cemtenary of the end of the war PA 24/30 Crosses and poppies placed in the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA 25/30 British General Lord Richard Dannatt, front center, the retired former Chief of the General Staff, head of the British army, poses for a group photograph with Chelsea Pensioners, serving soldiers, serving airmen and women, Royal Navy reservists, military veterans and 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign AP 26/30 A Yeoman of the Guard stands amongst lit torches Reuters 27/30 Canon Nick Fennemore, Chaplain of Winchester Cathedral, looks at the woollen poppies hung on the railings outside the Cathedral in Hampshire to recall the poppy fields of Flanders. The installation will remain until 19 November, as part of First World War commemorations PA 28/30 The UK Parliament and German Bundestag choirs commemorate the centenary of the Armistice which ended the First World War, at the Houses of Parliament PA 29/30 Members of the public at the unveiling of a new war memorial in Hamilton Square in Birkenhead. The bronze statue of an exhausted soldier, created by Jim Wheelen and The Birkenhead Institute Old Boys, was inspired by poet Wilfred Owen who died in the First World War 100 years ago today 30/30 The St Paul's Cathedral remembrance field, which was opened to commemorate the end of the First World War 100 years ago PA 1/30 The moat of the Tower of London filled with thousands of lit torches as part of the installation 'Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers', marking the centenary of the end of the First World War Reuters 2/30 Poppy tributes outside Liberton Kirk in Edinburgh PA 3/30 36,000 leaf-shaped messages are hung from St. Patrick's Cathedral ceiling in Dublin, remembering the 36,000 Irish men and women who died in World War I PA 4/30 Colour Sgt Paul Harris of the 3pwr reservists salutes beneath a wooden sculpture of a First World War horse in the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral in Kent following a service of dedication for their Field of Remembrance PA 5/30 Staff from Cardiff Castle dressed in period WWI dress, look around the newly opened Commonwealth War Graves Commission replica cemetery and exhibition, which has been installed at the castle to mark the centenary of Armistice. The 330 headstones placed in the courtyard represent the more than 30,000 Welsh men and women who gave their lives during the First World War PA 6/30 The Weeping Window poppy installation, by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper, is pictured outside of the Imperial War Museum in London, ahead of Armistice Day. Weeping Window is a cascade comprising several thousand handmade ceramic poppies seen pouring from a high location to the ground below AFP/Getty 7/30 Yeoman of the Guard light the first torches Getty 8/30 Three men take a moment to look at the Lions of the Great War monument in Smethwick, West Midlands. The 10-foot high bronze figure of a Sikh soldier is the UK's first statue of a World War soldier from South Asia, and commemorates 100 years since the end of the war PA 9/30 Veterans attend the opening of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA 10/30 Chelsea Pensioner Roy Palmer, aged 79, in his ceremonial uniform as a retired member of the British army with 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign to commemorate the upcoming centenary of the end of World War I. World War I ended on November 11, 1918 and 'There But Not There' is the 2018 Armistice project for the charity Remembered AP 11/30 Yeoman Warders, commonly known as 'Beefeaters' light the first of thousands of flames in a lighting ceremony AFP/Getty 12/30 Sixteen thousand poppies that have been installed on the exterior of Liberton Kirk in Edinburgh to mark the centenary of armistice at the end of the First World War PA 13/30 Soldiers from 3RSME, the Royal School of Military Engineering, look at a piece called 'Lost Soldiers', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Montgomery Square in Canary Wharf, London, as part of its Remembrance Art Trail to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War PA 14/30 The Swindon Borough Council Tommy silhouette on display inside St Augustine's Church, Wiltshire, where 1300 poppies hang from the roof to represent the lives lost in the local area during World War I PA 15/30 93-year-old veteran Elizabeth Mitchell lays a wreath at the opening of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA 16/30 'The Haunting', a six-metre high sculpture depicting a weary First World War soldier, on display in St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, after it's official unveiling to commemorate the centenary of the ending of World War I PA 17/30 Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Gregory, Master Gunner of St James's Park, reads a section from the Royal Artillery's Armistice Roll of Honour, containing the names of their fallen World War One comrades, in the Morning Chapel inside Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire PA 18/30 Volunteers light torches that are part of the installation 'Beyond the Deepening Shadow' at the Tower of London Reuters 19/30 A soldier from 3RSME, the Royal School of Military Engineering, looks at a piece called 'Lost Armies', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Jubilee Park in Canary Wharf PA 20/30 A Chelsea Pensioner stands with 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign AP 21/30 Luke, Nathan and Frankie from Hornchurch and Upminster Sea Cadets, look at a piece called 'ANA', which has been created by artist Mark Humphrey and is on display at Adams Plaza in Canary Wharf PA 22/30 Thousands of flames in the dry moat of the Tower of London PA 23/30 The figure of a First World War soldier sits on a central reservation in Woolton Village, Liverpool marking the cemtenary of the end of the war PA 24/30 Crosses and poppies placed in the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance in the city's Princes Street Gardens PA 25/30 British General Lord Richard Dannatt, front center, the retired former Chief of the General Staff, head of the British army, poses for a group photograph with Chelsea Pensioners, serving soldiers, serving airmen and women, Royal Navy reservists, military veterans and 6 foot 'Tommy' figures at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, for the 'There But Not There' campaign AP 26/30 A Yeoman of the Guard stands amongst lit torches Reuters 27/30 Canon Nick Fennemore, Chaplain of Winchester Cathedral, looks at the woollen poppies hung on the railings outside the Cathedral in Hampshire to recall the poppy fields of Flanders. The installation will remain until 19 November, as part of First World War commemorations PA 28/30 The UK Parliament and German Bundestag choirs commemorate the centenary of the Armistice which ended the First World War, at the Houses of Parliament PA 29/30 Members of the public at the unveiling of a new war memorial in Hamilton Square in Birkenhead. The bronze statue of an exhausted soldier, created by Jim Wheelen and The Birkenhead Institute Old Boys, was inspired by poet Wilfred Owen who died in the First World War 100 years ago today 30/30 The St Paul's Cathedral remembrance field, which was opened to commemorate the end of the First World War 100 years ago PA
Following the National Service of Remembrance at the cenotaph, 10,000 people marched past the monument and through London, in tribute to those who served in the First World War.
At 7pm on Sunday 1,000 beacons across the UK will also be lit to mark the occasion.
Remembrance ceremonies were also held in Delhi, Kuala Lumpur and on a number of South Pacific Islands.
If you want to read how Remembrance Day unfolded live, please see what was our live coverage below:
Commemorations for the centenary of Armistice Day began with remembrance services across Australia, New Zealand and Commonwealth countries. In the UK a lone piper played in the day before dawn in Northern Ireland.
Tens of thousands of people paused to reflect on the lives lost in the First World War a century ago, in Sydney and other Australian cities.
Meanwhile, more than 100 people gathered in the dark at Enniskillen Castle in County Fermanagh at 6am to hear the piper play When The Battle's O'er, a traditional retreat march song.
The Wilfred Owen poem Anthem For Doomed Youth was read before ministers from the four main churches in the town led prayers of reflection.
A two-minute silence was observed after The Last Post was played on the bugle that sounded the charge of the 36th Ulster Division at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Lord-Lieutenant for County Fermanagh, Viscount Brookborough, gave the oration at the ceremony.
"All of our communities served willingly and suffered equally throughout the long years of that war and I am delighted to see so many people here this morning," he said.
"The Armistice was signed a few minutes after 5am on that 11th day, and we are in Enniskillen, the western most point of this celebration this year. Enniskillen was the first town to hear of the Armistice through a radio operator scanning the airwaves and he heard, in Morse code, the message which was transmitted in Paris and he translated it.”
Another service will take place in Enniskillen on Sunday morning at the Cenotaph, followed by a service at St Macartan's Cathedral.
The news of the Armistice reportedly broke in Enniskillen three hours before London, Edinburgh, Manchester or Dublin thanks to the local wireless operator who picked up a very faint signal with the news.
Local newspapers reported at the time, that the news “spread like wildfire” with rockets fired into the sky and the ringing of church bells.
There is an added poignancy to Remembrance Sunday in Enniskillen, after an IRA bomb exploded close to the Cenotaph during the annual commemoration killing 11 people.
Across Commonwealth nations, services of remembrance were held from Sydney to Singapore on Sunday to commemorate those who lost their lives on the other side of the world during the First World War.
Over 12,000 people gathered for a national ceremony of remembrance at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, where Prime Minister Scott Morrison led a minute's silence.
In Sydney, crowds gathered at the Anzac Memorial and there was also a service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.
Earlier in New Zealand, the country's main remembrance ceremony was held in the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, where Prime Minister Jacinda Arden addressed the crowd's assembled and a minute's silence was held.
As the silence came to an end, the sound of a 100-gun salute rang out over Wellington Harbour and white poppies fell from the cenotaph.
Over 330,000 Australians and nearly 10,000 New Zealanders served overseas during the First, with the majority posted on the Western Front alongside British soldiers and their allies.
In Singapore, the British High Commission held a service to mark the Armistice centenary at the Kranji War Cemetery, where over 3500 casualties are buried from both world wars.
A special bell was rung and sailors from HMS Argyll, which is currently visiting Singapore, attended the service, along with Gurkha bagpipe players.
In Malaysia wreaths were laid at the cenotaph at the National Monument in Kuala Lumpur during a service organised by the British High Commission.
Armistice Day ceremonies were also held in Fiji at the National War Memorial in Veiuto led by President Jioji Konrote and in Tonga the centenary was marked at the the Cenotaph in Nuku'alofa.
There was also a service at the Coastwatchers' Memorial in Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands.
Remembrance Day services will take place across the UK to mark the Armistice centenary and those killed din the First Word War and other conflicts.
The Queen and prime minister will attend a service at the cenotaph before travelling to Westminster Abbey.
Events are also taking place in Edinburgh, Glasgow,and other locations across the country and silhouettes of soldiers from the First World War have been projected on to famous UK landmarks
Additional reporting by PA
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Flowers are laid at the grave of the Unknown Warrior and Prince Charles reads from the Gospel of John
The Queen has attended a remembrance service at Westminster Abbey for those killed and wounded in conflict, as the UK marks 100 years since Armistice Day.
Earlier, millions of people joined in a two-minute silence at 11:00 GMT that marked the end of World War One on the 11th hour of 11 November 1918.
Prince Charles laid a wreath on behalf of the Queen at the Cenotaph in London.
Ten thousand people - including veterans and relatives of WW1 soldiers - marched past the monument.
Remembrance services have been held across the country, including at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Glasgow Cathedral and St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast.
A beacon was lit at Westminster Abbey, followed by more than 1,000 others across the UK on Sunday evening.
The lights are intended to symbolise the end of the darkness of war and a return to the lightness of peace.
The Queen was joined at the Westminster Abbey service by Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the dukes and duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex.
Prime Minister Theresa May and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier - who earlier became the first German leader to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph - were among the 2,000-strong congregation.
The Queen laid flowers at the grave of the Unknown Warrior, whose body was brought from France in 1920.
Image caption The Queen and Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Princes William and Harry and the duchesses of Sussex and Cambridge at the Sunday evening service
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Theresa May read a passage from the Book of Isaiah
Image copyright Reuters Image caption A beacon burns at Rugeley war memorial in Staffordshire - one of more than 1,000 across Britain
Image copyright PA Image caption The names of people who died in World War One are projected onto the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
Readings were given by Mrs May, Prince Charles, actress Sophie Okonedo and actor Simon Beale.
The Dean of Westminster Dr John Hall prayed for a time when "aggression between peoples and nations is transformed into friendship and collaboration".
Earlier, the Queen observed the two-minute silence at 11:00 in Whitehall from the balcony of the nearby Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Duke of Edinburgh was absent.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A two-minute silence is marked at the Cenotaph, after other tributes of remembrance around the UK
Image copyright PA Image caption The Queen watched the service from a balcony, alongside the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Prince Charles laid a wreath in place of the Queen
Prince Charles, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, Mrs May, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn laid wreaths.
Big Ben's renovations were paused ahead of Armistice Day to allow the bell to chime before and after the traditional two minutes of silence.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Beach images across the UK honour World War One soldiers
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May both laid wreaths
At 12:30, 10,000 members of the public - chosen by ballot - began a procession past the Cenotaph, beginning at the Mall and ending at St James's Park.
The march was described by organisers as a "nation's thank you" to all those who fought in WW1, and featured descendants of veterans from across the country.
Image caption Ten thousand people marched past the Cenotaph in London
Emma Silk, 47, from Wiltshire, told the BBC she was proud and emotional to be walking in the parade.
"I want to honour the memory of my grandfather - what he did for our freedom," she said.
Her grandfather lied about his age to join the war in 1917.
Image caption Emma Silk holds a photo of her grandfather, aged 17. "He looks so young," she says
Image caption Helen Wightman and Julie Jones travelled to London for the parade
Helen Wightman, 67, from Surrey, was in London for the parade with her younger sister, Julie Jones, 53, from Wigan, to remember their grandfather, Charles Izzard.
"I've got six grandchildren and think its important that we remember if it was not for them, we would not have the freedom that we have today," Helen told the BBC.
They were wearing his medals but details of his experience are hazy. Julie did try to interview him once for a school project but he got too upset.
"So many men died, he thought he was one of the very lucky ones," she said.
Image caption Robert Malin, whose job it was to carry away the wounded on stretchers, and his grandson Jeremy Cripps wearing his bravery medals
Jeremy Cripps, 64 and from South Shields, walked in the parade in honour of his grandfather, Robert Malin.
Mr Cripps said his grandfather went beyond the call of duty by going out under fire to rescue wounded soldiers.
At the scene
By Marie Jackson, BBC News
The Mall was packed with people proud to remember the part their families played in the war.
Dressed in the sombre, dark clothes of remembrance, many wore an ancestor's solitary medal, others row upon row, alongside their poppies.
They carried wreaths with carefully crafted messages of thanks and spoke of their pride in their grandfathers, great-grandfathers and great uncles.
Read more from Marie
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Donald Trump, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron were among 70 world leaders at a service in Paris
In France, where many of the battles of the Western Front were fought, 70 world leaders gathered for a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a speech, Mr Macron urged the assembled world leaders to come together in a joint "fight for peace".
"Let us build our hopes rather than playing our fears against each other," he said, describing patriotism as "the exact opposite of nationalism".
The Armistice 100 years on
Image copyright AFP
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Armistice Day, 1918
Armistice Day falls each year on 11 November to mark the day in 1918 when the fighting in World War One was stopped.
The Allies and Germany signed an armistice in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiegne in France at 05:00. Six hours later, at 11:00, the conflict ceased.
King George V announced that a two-minute silence would be observed in 1919, four days before the first anniversary of Armistice Day. The silence continues to be observed every year on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Second World War veterans in their 90s defied the discomforts of age and stood proudly at the cenotaph at the B.C. legislature in Victoria this morning, especially touched that this is the 100th anniversary of the Armistice.
Lewis Madley, served in the 225 Squadron of the Royal Air Force. He turns 97 on Friday. “The whole reason is to remember our comrades who never came back. That’s the most important thing.”
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Victor E. Wong, 93, a third-generation Chinese-Canadian, enlisted by the Canadian forces during the war and assigned to the British special forces for a dangerous and secretive mission in Southeast Asia, said: “I have to make it here.”
“This is the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. It’s a memory for everybody,” said Wong. “I was thinking how proud I was that everyone was here to celebrate with us.
“I hate war,” said Wong. “I hope there will never be a world war again. I just pray to God that everybody will love each other and there will be no war. That’s all.”
O Canada was sung to start the ceremony followed by the playing of the Last Post and then at 11 a.m. two minutes of silence was observed.
Similar Remembrance Day events took place throughout the region and across Canada.
A 21-gun memorial salute by the 5th (B.C.) Field Regiment began and the raising of the Canadian flag which coincided with the reciting of the Act of Remembrance: "They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them."
B.C. Premier John Horgan said that in honour of Remembrance Day and the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, “we honour the courage and sacrifice of veterans, armed forces members and merchant marines who have served our country.
“We also recognize the families who have lost sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, and cared for those who have returned with injuries, both visible and invisible,” Horgan said in a statement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Paris, France, said this morning in a statement: “Today, we honour every Canadian who has served and sacrificed so we may live free. We fall silent to acknowledge a debt we can never repay.”
One hundred years ago today, the Armistice between Germany and the Allies ended the First World War.
The country commemorates not only the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, but also Canada's hundred days, which was a turning point for Canada as a force on the world stage.
During the 100 Days Offensive, said Trudeau, Canadians spearheaded attacks that overcame the last lines of German defences and paved the way to final victory.
“These soldiers were the face and strength of a young country that sacrificed beyond measure and never faltered in its duty,” he said.
Since then, every generation of Canadian has stepped forward to serve and defend the principles of peace, freedom, and democracy.
Horgan said in moments of silence today, “we resolve to stand together against hate and violence, and work to build a more peaceful world. “
Rev. Andrew Gates, military chaplain, said a prayer at the cenotaph reflecting on the danger of the hateful acts and words continuing today after all those who have died to bring us peace.
“No gun ever made us free,” said Gates. “Those who died by them brought us time to make peace and God you are the judge of how well we’ve done.”
Typically, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia lays the first wreath but Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin was in Vancouver this Nov. 11.
Silver Cross mother, Sheila Fynes, and her husband, Shaun and their son Michael, laid the first wreath.
Their 28-year-old son, Stuart Langridge, killed himself March 15, 2008, having suffered post traumatic stress disorder after returning in 2005 from service in Bosnia and then in Afghanistan.
“It was 10 years ago but it feels like yesterday,” said Fynes.
The Fynes fought for years to have Stuart recognized as a fallen soldier, his death attributable to military service. Fynes would eventually become Victoria’s Silver Cross mother.
The Fynes were in Ottawa on Nov. 1 when they heard that Anita Cenerini of Winnipeg, Man., was announced the Silver Cross mother to Canada. She represents all mothers who lost children in the military, either in action, or over the course of normal duty, until the end of October, 2019.
“It’s huge, it means that all of our soldiers are being recognized and they are no longer disposable people who we would prefer not to talk about,” said Fynes. “They are all important, they all contributed and now they are all being recognized and it fills my heart with wonderful things,” said Fynes.
“The tide has shifted,” said Fynes.
Cenerini placed a wreath today at the National War Memorial during a Remembrance Day ceremony.
Her son private Thomas Welch, was an infantryman with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, based in Petawawa. He joined the Forces in 2001, served as a gunner in Afghanistan in 2003, and died by suicide on May 8, 2004 just months after his return. It marked the first death by suicide of a Canadian Soldier after returning home from the Afghanistan mission
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, tonight, as the sun goes down, the “Bells of Peace Ceremony” will be performed at Fort Rodd Hill.
The ceremony starts at Signal Hill in Halifax and continues across the country at sunset in those regions, ending at Fort Rodd Hill where General Sir Arthur Currie conducted basic training before sending off the men to the First World War.
ceharnett@timescolonist.com
