UK falls silent: How the nation remembered the fallen on Armistice Day

The UK held a two-minute silence on Monday morning to mark Armistice Day, as ITV News reporter Sam Holder reports

People across the UK fell silent on Monday morning to mark Armistice Day.

As is tradition, on the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, people held a two-minute silence to remember those who died serving their country.

Many veterans and members of the armed forces, as well as their families and friends, gathered at monuments across the country to mark the poignant day.

The service commemorates the signing of the Armistice which brought an end to the First World War and remembers all those who gave their lives in service to their country since 1914.

The Duchess of Edinburgh led Armistice Day commemorations at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Credit: PA

In the UK, events focused on the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, with the Duchess of Edinburgh among the guests for the Service of Remembrance.

Sophie read an extract from For The Fallen, a poem by Lawrence Binyon, before observing the two-minute silence at 11am.

The duchess also laid a wreath at the Armed Forces Memorial alongside representatives from the Government and the military.

The Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Credit: PA

At the Cenotaph, in Whitehall, charity The Western Front Association led the reflection, with a reading of the poem 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion', by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, which was published in 1933.

Nearby, people gathered around the hundreds of wooden crosses with handwritten messages which filled the Fields of Remembrance, Westminster Abbey.

Politicians including the Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord McFall of Alcluith, both laid wreathes during a ceremony in Westminster Hall.

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle and of the House of Lords, Lord McFall of Alcluith, lay wreaths in Westminster Hall. Credit: PA

In Northern Ireland, dignitaries paid their respects at the Belfast Cenotaph - where Stormont’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill laid a laurel wreath yesterday.

The Duchess of Edinburgh led Armistice Day commemorations at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Monday.

Sophie attended the Service of Remembrance, led by Reverend Malcolm Mcnaughton, Bishop of Repton, and Reverend Vic Van Den Bergh, honorary chaplain to the arboretum, and read an extract from For The Fallen, a poem by Lawrence Binyon, before observing the two-minute silence at 11am.

Today the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is in France, where he will pay respect to allied forces in Europe.

Starmer's visit to France comes as he announced more than £10 million to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day.

Over the weekend The Princess of Wales made a return to public royal duties by attending the Festival of Remembrance.

People look at wreaths after an Armistice Day ceremony in the Garden of Remembrance near the Scott Monument in Edinburgh. Credit: PA

William and Kate, both wearing poppies, were seen in conversation after taking their seats next to each other at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening.

She also watched on Sunday, as The King led the nation’s tribute to the country’s war dead during a poignant service of remembrance.

Charles laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph in recognition of the fallen from conflicts dating back to the First World War, and other floral tributes followed from members of the royal family, Sir Keir Starmer, other political leaders and foreign diplomats.

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