What time is the two-minute silence on Remembrance Day?
A TWO-minute silence will be observed on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day in memory of those who lost their lives fighting for their country.
But do you know why it’s on November 11 each year, or how the tribute came to be two minutes? Here are the details…
When is the two-minute silence?
The two-minute silence is observed at 11am on November 11 each year – that’s the (passing of the) eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
The day itself is known as Armistice Day – or Remembrance Day.
It is also held on Remembrance Sunday which always falls on the second Sunday in November.
In 2019 this is Sunday, November 10, and is held at the Cenotaph in London and war memorials across the country.
The silence is a time for people to remember those who lost their lives in conflict.
According to reports, in a letter published in the London Evening News on May 8, 1919, an Australian journalist, Edward George Honey, had proposed a respectful silence to remember those who had given their lives in the First World War.
This was brought to the attention of King George V, who had been monarch during the Great War.
Later, the King issued a proclamation which called for the two-minute silence.
What is Armistice Day?
The day remembers the agreement between the Allies and Germany on November 11, 1918, to end the First World War, which marked victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany.
It was signed in Compiegne in Northern France and came into effect at 11am.
The armistice forced the Germans to evacuate invaded countries and territories within two weeks.
They also had to surrender a significant amount of war material, including five thousand guns, 25,000 machine guns and 1,700 planes.
Germany, exhausted by war and with a nation of hungry citizens, reluctantly accepted the terms.
Although hostilities continued in some areas, the armistice essentially brought an end to fours years of fighting in the First World War.
What’s the difference between Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday?
Armistice Day is always on November 11.
Remembrance Sunday, however, is held on the second Sunday in November.
A National Service of Remembrance is held at The Cenotaph in Whitehall in London.
Members of the Royal Family and the Government attend the service alongside representatives from the Armed Forces and the public.
Another two-minute silence is held at 11am before a number of wreaths are laid down.
The Royal Marine buglers usually sound The Last Post and a number of veterans take part in a march past The Cenotaph.
Why do we wear poppies?
In the run up to Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, you will often spot veterans selling poppies at a number of locations across the country.
The reason poppies are used is because they are the flowers which grew on the battlefields after the First World War ended.
Poppies are also used to raise money for servicemen and women who are still alive but whose lives have been changed by war.
The charity that runs the Poppy Appeal is called The Royal British Legion.
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