The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh led the
commemorations on Remembrance Sunday as
Britain honoured its war dead.
People across the UK took part in
wreath-laying ceremonies just a day after
Armistice Day, when millions fell silent to mark
the moment World War I ended in 1918.
In central London on Sunday, 6,000
ex-servicemen and women and 2,000 civilians
marched along Horse Guards Parade to the
Cenotaph where wreaths were laid in memory
of the war dead.
It was the most inclusive Remembrance
Sunday to date with the first parade by
non-Christian faiths. Veterans from the Muslim,
Hindu, Buddhist and Greek Orthodox faiths all
participated.
Deserters remembered
The World War One Pardons Association,
representing relatives of soldiers shot for
desertion, took part in the civil parade for the
first time.
The Evacuees Reunion
Association,
representing the
thousands of British
children evacuated to
the countryside during
the Second World War,
were also newcomers
to the parade.
The Queen, Duke of
Edinburgh, Prince of
Wales, Duke of York,
Princess Royal and
Duke of Kent laid their wreaths at the base of
the Cenotaph in Whitehall after a two-minute
silence at 1100GMT.
Wreaths were also laid by Prime Minister Tony
Blair, Conservative leader William Hague and
other politicians.
For the second year running, the Queen
Mother was not well enough to attend the
ceremony, after falling and breaking her collar
bone five days ago.
The dignitaries included former Prime Ministers
John Major, Margaret Thatcher and Sir Edward
Heath.
At 1400GMT, British Jewish war veterans
paraded to the Cenotaph, joined by a
contingent from Paris, and Jewish war veterans
of the United States.
The parade also featured a 1,600-strong
contingent of Korean war veterans, marking
the 50th anniversary of the start of the
conflict.
Tributes
Veterans in wheelchairs also paid testament to
the sacrifices of the country's war heroes.
Normandy veteran Pat Wright, 76, from Surrey,
said it was disappointing that the Queen
Mother had not been there.
"It's not her fault - she's normally the first
person who wants to be down here," said the
former Para.
"Today went very smoothly. It's good to catch
up with people but it's a sad day too."
Similar, if smaller,
ceremonies took place
throughout the UK.
A spokesman for the
Scottish Poppy Appeal
said the charity was
pleased by the public
response to its efforts.
"There are up to 1,000
war memorials across
Scotland and there
were wreath-laying ceremonies at each," he
said.
"The weather, despite being cold and wet in
place, does not seem to have affected the
turnout. All in all, it was a very satisfying
turnout.
"And let's not forget that the two-minute
silence remains the single biggest
demonstration of spontaneous public response
to a single cause."
Armistice Day
The successful Remembrance Day ceremonies
followed a day after events to mark Armistice
Day.
Saturday's events
culminated in the
Festival of
Remembrance at the
Royal Albert Hall which
was also attended by
the Queen and the
Prince of Wales.
Before the festival,
15-year-old schoolgirl
Sarah Baker presented
Prince Charles with the
Millennium Flame of
Remembrance which had been carried by 500
children from the Millennium Dome to the
Cenotaph and on to the Albert Memorial,
opposite the Royal Albert Hall.
The Royal British Legion, which hopes its poppy
appeal will raise £20m to help veterans of all
conflicts, estimated that more than 40 million
people had observed the two-minute silence.