Millions fall silent for Remembrance Sunday

Services are taking place across the UK

Author: Chris MaskeryPublished 12th Nov 2023
Last updated 12th Nov 2023

The UK will fall silent this morning as the country marks Remembrance Day.

At 11am today (12th November) a two-minute silence will be observed to remember those who have died in military conflicts.

Greatest Hits Radio will also be taking part, falling silent at 11am.

The National Service of Remembrance will be held at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, London while many local services will be held across the country.

Similar to Armistice Day, two minutes silence will be observed at 11:00 between two bugle calls, 'The Last Post and 'The Reveille.'

Following the two-minute silence the King is expected to be the first to lay a wreath on behalf of the nation.

There will be parades from veterans, various military groups, charities, marching bands and members of the public.

Why do people wear poppies on Remembrance Day?

The symbol of the poppy dates all the way back to the First World War as they grew on the battlefields of the Western Front in Europe.

After the death of his friend in Ypres, Belgium in 1915, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was inspired by the sight of poppies growing in fields.

Amazed by the war memorial he proceeded to write the now-famous poem 'In Flanders Fields'.

Britain began to use the poppy symbol shortly after the war in 1921 when the Royal British Legion was formed.

World War One timeline

28 June 1914: Archduke Francis Ferdinand is assassinated. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, beginning World War I

2-7 August 1914: British forces arrive in France

6-12 September 1914: The First Battle of the Marne. 13,000 British casualties with 1,700 dead. 67,700 Germans dead

5 November 1914: Britain and France declare war on the Ottoman Empire

17 July 1915: Women demonstrate the right to work in war industries

1 July 1916 - 18 November 1916: Battle of the Somme. 420,00 British casualties. 1,499,000 casualties overall.

6 April 1917: The United States declares war on Germany

20 November 1917: First large-scale use of tanks in combat at Cambrai, France

11 November 1918: Germany signs the Armistice at Compiègne, ending World War I.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.