Silent tribute paid to war dead

Millions of Britons have held a two-minute silence to remember the nation's war dead.

The tribute started at 11am, the time the guns on the Western Front fell silent at the end of the First World War in 1918.

Ceremonies nationwide commemorated fallen servicemen and women from both World Wars and later conflicts, including the 385 British personnel who have died since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001.

The silence was particularly poignant for those at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, who are mourning the loss of the latest soldier to die on active service.

Private Matthew Thornton, 28, from the 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was killed by an IED while on patrol in Babaji on Wednesday.

His family paid tribute to him last night as a "dedicated soldier" who "loved life".

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In Staffordshire, a service of remembrance was held within the walls of the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.

According to the arboretum, the memorial is designed so that on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a shaft of sunlight shines through its inner and outer walls, hitting the central bronze wreath sculpture.

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On Thursday, Home Secretary Theresa May banned Muslims Against Crusades, an extremist group that said it would burn poppies outside London's Albert Hall.

The group's leaders called off the demonstration - but on Friday morning, the Metropolitan Police warned that anyone who disrupted the two-minute silence would be "dealt with robustly".
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... Traditional gatherings in Glasgow's George Square and at the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance were replicated across the country.

More unusual tributes included a giant poppy on a horse statue on the M8.

... Other groups marked the occasion in a unique way.

A group of 11 hillwalkers planned to pay their respects at the peak of the 11th highest Munro at 11:00 on Armistice Day, the 11th day of the 11th month.

They aimed to be at the top of Beinn a Bhuird, near Braemar in the Cairngorms, to observe the customary two-minute silence.

Meanwhile, traffic was stopped in Inverness city centre - the first time this has happened on Armistice Day since World War II.
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... Sadly, members of our Armed Forces are still laying down their lives in the service of their country. One day, we hope, the bloodshed will cease forever.

But even were that dream to come true we would still remember them.

We would in perpetuity keep our two-minute silence and wear our poppies with pride and in gratitude.

Those are two noble qualities that FIFA, football’s out-of-touch governing body, seems to confuse with triumphalism.

Thankfully, it has backed down from its ludicrous attempt to ban the England team from honouring our war heroes in the game against Spain tomorrow.
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