Hundreds of people gathered in Whitehall, London, today to remember the men and women who have been killed in former and recent conflicts.
At 11 am thousands all over the country fell silent for two minutes honouring the soldiers who have been killed.
Her Majesty the Queen Elisabeth II then laid down the first wreath at the Cenotaph, followed by Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Harry, who represented his father the Prince of Wales.
Wreaths at the Cenotaph
Political leaders, amongst them Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Conservative Party leader David Cameron and Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats remembered the soldiers as well as representatives of the Commonwealth and of the military.
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Remembrance Day Parade
Accompanied by standing ovations 7 500 former soldiers and other service personnel marched past the Cenotaph, with them around 1 500 civilians.
Private Roy Davies
Private Roy Davies, 78, was one of them.
“Remembrance Day means a lot to me. I lost 63 friends in Korea in 1952.”
Private Davies served in the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI). He attended Remembrance Day for the ninth time.
“It is nice. You meet old friends who you only see on Remembrance Day”, Private Davies said.
“And everyone applauds for the whole parade – you only get that once a year.”
Paying tribute
Earlier today about 2 000 British service personnel held a remembrance ceremony at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, while another soldier has been killed raising the number of deaths in Afghanistan to 231 since 2001.
Prime Minister Brown paid tribute to all servicemen and women in his Remembrance Day podcast: “it is our sacred duty to celebrate the courage of the fallen; to honour their extraordinary sacrifice; and to remember them with pride.”
Private Roy Davies is thankful. “Remembering the dead is important.”
