Bells to ring out and 10,000 to march past the Cenotaph as the nation says 'thank you'
10,000 people will march past the Cenotaph on 11 November in ‘A Nation’s Thank you - The People’s Procession’.
- Ballot launches today for members of the public to apply
- UK government, supported by the German government, invite nations to participate in international bell ringing to replicate the national outpouring of relief that took place at the end of the war
Ten thousand members of the public will be invited to march past the Cenotaph to mark the centenary of the Armistice later this year, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright announced today.
Descendants, family members and the public are invited to apply to take part in ‘A Nation’s Thank you - The People’s Procession’ on Sunday 11 November 2018.
At the same time, people are being encouraged to ring bells around the world, as the government is seeking to replicate the spontaneous outpouring of relief that took place in 1918.
As news of the Armistice spread, church bells, which had fallen silent across the UK during the First World War, rang out in celebration.
Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright said:
On the centenary of the Armistice, it is right that we come together to give thanks to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and those who returned home to help shape the world we live in today.
The 11th of November offers us a unique opportunity to show our appreciation for the generation who gave so much to secure this hard fought victory. I encourage everyone, whatever their connection to the First World War, to apply to participate in the People’s Procession and join in with the bell ringing programme to help us mark this historic occasion.
This will be a fitting conclusion to the four year commemorations of the centenary of the First World War and will ensure the stories from this important period of our history are passed down to future generations.
Bell ringing and the People’s Procession will take place after the conclusion of The Royal British Legion’s Veteran Dispersal and March Past the Cenotaph, which follows the National Service of Remembrance on 11 November 2018, the centenary of the end of the First World War.
The People’s Procession will provide an opportunity for those taking part to give thanks to all those who served in the First World War to secure the victory that helped shape the rights and privileges we enjoy today.
Members of the public are invited to apply for tickets for the People’s Procession through a ballot. Ten thousand tickets are available and will be allocated in pairs. The procession will march down Whitehall where successful applicants will be able to lay wreaths at the Cenotaph.
Bell ringing and the People’s Procession both form part of the national commemoration events for the centenary of the Armistice in London and will be followed by a service at Westminster Abbey in the evening.
ENDS
Members of the public with questions about the Ballot can contact armisticeprocession@culture.gov.uk
Members of the media can contact: 020 7211 6263
Notes to Editors:
Members of the public can apply for the People’s Procession on the Armistice 100 website
Throughout the world, bells of all kinds - church, military or any other - are invited by the British Government with the support of the German Government to ring out at the following times:
- Bells in countries observing GMT and CET are invited to ring at 12.30hrs GMT (13.30hrs CET)
- Bells in countries throughout the rest of the world are invited to ring at either 12.30 GMT or 12.30pm local time
DCMS is also supporting the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on an initiative ‘Ringing Remembers’ which is run jointly by the Big Ideas Company and the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. This project aims to get 1,400 people ringing church bells on the centenary of the Armistice, the number of bell ringers lost in the war.