What is the meaning and significance behind Armistice Day?

Sir Keir Starmer is the first British prime minister since Winston Churchill to attend the Armistice Day ceremony in Paris.

Jimmy Nsubuga and Ross McGuinness
Updated ·5-min read
France's President Emmanuel Macron (2R) and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (2L) take part in a wreath-laying ceremony on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Place de l'Etoile, in Paris, on November 11, 2024, as part of the commemorations marking the 106th anniversary of the November 11, 1918, Armistice, ending World War I (WWI). (Photo by Michel Euler / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MICHEL EULER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris. (AFP via Getty Images)

Sir Keir Starmer became the first UK leader since Winston Churchill 80 years ago to attend the Armistice Day ceremony in Paris.

The prime minister laid a wreath on Monday morning at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in the French capital alongside the country's president Emmanuel Macron.

It was the first time a British prime minister had attended the armistice ceremony in Paris since Churchill did so with General Charles de Gaulle in 1944 during the Second World War.

Starmer said he was “honoured to be in Paris to stand united with President Macron in tribute to the fallen of the First World War who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today”.

France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer revive the flame on the Unknown Soldiers's Tomb during commemorations marking the 106th anniversary of the November 11, 1918, Armistice, ending World War I (WWI), on the Place de l'Etoile, in Paris, on November 11, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron revive the flame on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in Paris. (AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer and Macron will hold talks later in which they are expected to discuss European security, Ukraine, the Middle East and the impact of a second Donald Trump presidency in the US.

Starmer also announced more than £10m to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day next year, pledging a “moment of national reflection” in 2025, with events on 8 May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the allied victory in Europe, and also on 15 August to mark the end of the Second World War.

In the UK, Armistice Day events focused on the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, with the Duchess of Edinburgh among the guests for the Service of Remembrance.

The Duchess of Edinburgh lays a wreath during the Remembrance service at National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire to mark Armistice Day. Picture date: Monday November 11, 2024. (Photo by Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images)
The Duchess of Edinburgh lays a wreath during the Remembrance Service at the National Memorial Arboretum. (PA)

Sophie read an extract from For The Fallen, a poem by Lawrence Binyon, before observing the two-minute silence at 11am.

The duchess also laid a wreath at the Armed Forces Memorial alongside representatives from the government and the military.

Armistice Day is observed on 11 November each year to commemorate the end of the First World War and to honour British and Commonwealth military personnel who fought in the conflict.

Armistice Day is also known as Remembrance Day and takes place on 11 November to commemorate the end of the First World War on that date in 1918.

Each year, a two-minute silence is observed across the country at 11am to remember those who died in the conflict.

There is also a daytime and evening Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, with royals usually in attendance.

Many people wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance, and there are usually parades and ceremonies held across the country to mark the occasion.

The Royal British Legion's annual Poppy Appeal helps to raise funds for veterans and their families.

Armistice refers to a formal agreement between two opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain period.

It is usually a temporary truce or ceasefire that marks the end of hostilities, and it can be used to negotiate the terms of a peace treaty or other settlement.

The term is often associated with the armistice that ended the First World War.

Downing Street, London, UK. 10th Nov, 2024. Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom exits No 10 with his wife Victoria. Politicians, including former Prime Ministers, are seen walking through Downing Street on the way from attending the Remembrance Sunday ceremony on Whitehall in Westminster. Credit: Imageplotter/Alamy Live News
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer on his way from attending the Remembrance Sunday ceremony on Whitehall in Westminster. (Alamy)

Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday are both related to the same occasion and involve the act of remembrance, but they are observed differently.

The nation observes Remembrance Sunday on the second Sunday in November as a day to pay tribute to the military and civilian servicemen and women who fought in the two World Wars and other conflicts for Britain.

A two-minute silence marks Armistice Day, which always falls on 11 November, while Remembrance Sunday is marked by a national service and a parade in London, as well as local services and parades across the UK.

The National Service of Remembrance is held at the Cenotaph in London and is attended by senior members of the Royal Family, including King Charles, as well as representatives from the government.

One of the highlights of the event is the March Past, which involves around 10,000 veterans.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOV 10, 2024 - Observing the two minutes silence at 11am. The crowds around Westminster for the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph. (Photo credit should read Matthew Chattle/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Crowds in Westminster observe the two-minute silence at 11am on Remembrance Sunday. (Getty Images)

The armistice that ended the First World War was signed on 11 November, 1918, and it came into effect at 11am on that day, which is why Armistice Day is observed on that date and at that time.

The armistice marked the end of four years of conflict and paved the way for the Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended the war the following year.

King George V hosted a 'Banquet in Honour of the President of the French Republic' at Buckingham Palace on 10 November, 1919 to mark the first Armistice Day.

The next morning, on 11 November, 1919, the first official Armistice Day events were held on the palace grounds, including a two-minute silence for those lost in the war.

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