Big Ben chimes for Armistice Day after years of repairs

At the Cenotaph, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, at the Scott Monument in Edinburgh and Cardiff Castle, people stood together in silence to remember the fallen.

Big Ben, its tower free from scaffolding after its refurbishment, struck 11 times to mark the beginning of the two-minute silence on Armistice Day. The 104th anniversary of the end of “the war to end all wars” was also used as a reminder that conflict continues in Europe.

James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, spoke of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as he attended a remembrance service in Paris hosted by President Macron. “Since 1918 we have marked Armistice Day and paid tribute to the brave men and women who have served to give us peace,” Cleverly said.