Centenary Of The Armistice & Remembrance Day
Posted by Adam Jolan on
After several months of hard fighting on the Western Front, the Allies finally broke through the Hindenburg Line on 29 September 1918. The German army was beaten and within weeks came the Armistice.
The Armistice of Compiègne between the Allies and Germany came into effect at 11am on 11 November 1918. The guns fell silent on the Western Front and after more than four years of unimaginable bloodshed and destruction, the war was finally over.
At home in Australia, large crowds gathered in capital cities to celebrate the end of conflict.
The Armistice paved the way for the signing of a formal peace treaty, the Treaty of Versailles, and the end of the war six months later. On 28 June 1919, the treaty was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, with Australian Prime Minister William Morris (Billy) Hughes and Deputy Prime Minister Joseph Cook adding their signatures on Australia’s behalf.
After the Second World War, Armistice Day became Remembrance Day. Each year Australians observe one minute silence at 11am on 11 November, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflict. This year marks the centenary of the signing of the armistice which ended the First World War.
To commemorate the centenary of the Armistice that ended the First World War, a creative public program will run at the Australian War Memorial from 5 October to Remembrance Day, 11 November 2018. The program calls on Australians to ‘Honour Their Spirit’ and remember the impact of the First World War and the 62,000 servicemen and women who gave their lives for our freedoms.
The Armistice of Compiègne between the Allies and Germany came into effect at 11am on 11 November 1918. The guns fell silent on the Western Front and after more than four years of unimaginable bloodshed and destruction, the war was finally over.
At home in Australia, large crowds gathered in capital cities to celebrate the end of conflict.
The Armistice paved the way for the signing of a formal peace treaty, the Treaty of Versailles, and the end of the war six months later. On 28 June 1919, the treaty was signed in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, with Australian Prime Minister William Morris (Billy) Hughes and Deputy Prime Minister Joseph Cook adding their signatures on Australia’s behalf.
After the Second World War, Armistice Day became Remembrance Day. Each year Australians observe one minute silence at 11am on 11 November, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflict. This year marks the centenary of the signing of the armistice which ended the First World War.
To commemorate the centenary of the Armistice that ended the First World War, a creative public program will run at the Australian War Memorial from 5 October to Remembrance Day, 11 November 2018. The program calls on Australians to ‘Honour Their Spirit’ and remember the impact of the First World War and the 62,000 servicemen and women who gave their lives for our freedoms.