Britons observe two-minute silence in memory of war dead

LONDON – People across Britain held somber ceremonies and observed a two-minute silence Saturday in memory of troops killed in conflicts from World War I to Iraq.

In Trafalgar Square, hundreds of Londoners and tourists paused as Parliament’s Big Ben bell chimed 11 times at the start of the traditional Armistice Day silence, commemorating the end of World War I at 11 am on November 11 1918. The silence was broken by a lone bugler and a fly-past by four Royal Air Force jets.Later, Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Tony Blair and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark unveiled a memorial at Hyde Park Corner in London that honoured New Zealand’s war dead, many killed aiding Britain in its battles.Elizabeth said New Zealanders had “travelled without hesitation to serve alongside the British people in times of need.””New Zealanders have written themselves into a special place in our history books, many of them for deeds of exceptional bravery and sacrifice, but most of them for simply giving their all in duty, in courage and in dogged determination to fight peace and freedom from tyranny,” she said.Clark said the memorial, designed by New Zealand architect John Hardwick-Smith and sculptor Paul Dibble, underlined the close ties between the two nations.”The extent of the shared sacrifice occurred because of the depth of New Zealand’s relationship with Britain, going back to James Cook’s first voyage of discovery and, in the almost two and a half centuries since, resulting in large movements of people between Britain and New Zealand,” she said.The queen, other senior royals, Blair and Clark also attended a remembrance ceremony and concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening.The Armistice Day silence has been observed in Britain since 1919, when King George V proclaimed that “all locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead.”On Sunday, members of the royal family, senior politicians and diplomats from the 54-nation Commonwealth will lay wreaths at the Cenotaph monument in central London as part of the annual Remembrance Sunday service.The ceremony honours those killed in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts, including 121 British troops who have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.Nampa-APThe silence was broken by a lone bugler and a fly-past by four Royal Air Force jets.Later, Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Tony Blair and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark unveiled a memorial at Hyde Park Corner in London that honoured New Zealand’s war dead, many killed aiding Britain in its battles.Elizabeth said New Zealanders had “travelled without hesitation to serve alongside the British people in times of need.””New Zealanders have written themselves into a special place in our history books, many of them for deeds of exceptional bravery and sacrifice, but most of them for simply giving their all in duty, in courage and in dogged determination to fight peace and freedom from tyranny,” she said.Clark said the memorial, designed by New Zealand architect John Hardwick-Smith and sculptor Paul Dibble, underlined the close ties between the two nations.”The extent of the shared sacrifice occurred because of the depth of New Zealand’s relationship with Britain, going back to James Cook’s first voyage of discovery and, in the almost two and a half centuries since, resulting in large movements of people between Britain and New Zealand,” she said.The queen, other senior royals, Blair and Clark also attended a remembrance ceremony and concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening.The Armistice Day silence has been observed in Britain since 1919, when King George V proclaimed that “all locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead.”On Sunday, members of the royal family, senior politicians and diplomats from the 54-nation Commonwealth will lay wreaths at the Cenotaph monument in central London as part of the annual Remembrance Sunday service.The ceremony honours those killed in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts, including 121 British troops who have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.Nampa-AP