The Queen has led the country in the annual ritual of Remembrance Sunday.
The 88-year-old monarch joined senior parliamentarians and thousands of former servicemen and women in the laying of the wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, to commemorate those who died during conflicts.
On the first stroke of Big Ben at 11am, a shot fired from a first world war gun at nearby Horse Guards Parade signalled the start of the two-minute silence. The Last Post sounded by buglers from the Royal Marines ended the silence.
Security, always tight at such occasions, appeared more visible on Sunday after the arrests of four men under the Terrorism Act last week. Roads around Whitehall were closed from 6am and armed officers patrolled the area.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the first world war and 70 years since the D-day landings. 2014 also saw the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.
For the first time the Irish ambassador to the UK laid a wreath, a move following the historic state visit by Ireland’s president, Michael Higgins, in April. The invitation to lay the wreath at this and future Remembrance Sundays is in recognition of “the immense contribution and shared sacrifice made by many thousands of Irish men and women who have served in the British armed forces”, according to a statement by the UK government.
More than 200,000 Irish volunteers served in the British army during the first world war. At least 35,000 were killed.
On Sunday about 10,000 former and current service personnel took part in the march past the Cenotaph. They included a number of veterans from the second world war. The last surviving first world war veteran died in 2012.
The crowd stood silent for Elgar’s Nimrod before the dignitaries took their positions.
The Queen is the third monarch to lead such ceremonies at the memorial, which was first unveiled in 1920 by her grandfather George V and unveiled for a second time by her father, George VI, in 1946 when the dates of the second world war added.
David Cameron, the 19th British prime minister to lay a wreath, was followed by the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, and then the Labour leader, Ed Miliband. Clegg takes precedence over Miliband because of his position in the coalition government.
Former prime ministers Sir John Major and Tony Blair were among those who stood heads bowed during the two-minute silence.
Prince Philip laid the second wreath. The 93-year-old was mentioned in dispatches during the second world war. Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge followed.
The Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge watched from a balcony at the Foreign and Commonwealth building.
Among the crowds packed into Whitehall from 8am were the Suthers, family who had travelled from Bournemouth. Mike Suthers used to attend as a child with his grandfather and was keen for his own sons Eddie, 14, and Max, 11, to experience the ceremony. “It is important to keep the memory going. It’s been 100 years and it’s important the next generation remember,” he said. Suthers’ wife, Joanna, said the family had also visited the Tower of London poppy installation. “It’s very emotional,” she said.
Michael Wiggins, 37, and his father Brian, 66, were at the Cenotaph to remember family members who served in the second world war. “I started coming about four or five years ago. My grandfather was in the Royal Navy in world war two. I can imagine him watching this on the telly whenever I come down here. This year is the 100th anniversary of the first world war, which makes it even more special,” said Michael from Streatham, south London.
His father added: “It’s quite emotional. My father served with the army in world war two. He never spoke about it. You can’t imagine what they went through.”
