At 11am on 11 November 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. The Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted the allied terms of unconditional surrender.
The conflict had mobilised over 70 million people, left between 9 and 13 million dead and as many as one third of these with no grave.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. It became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war.
Originally known as Armistice Day, it was renamed Remembrance Day after World War Two to commemorate those who were killed in both World Wars.
Today the loss of Australian lives from all wars and conflicts are commemorated on Remembrance Day.
Signatures that ended four years of conflict
At 5am on 11 November 1918 in a railway carriage in France, representatives of France, Britain and Germany all signed a document that would put an end to four years of conflict. Six hours later – at 11am – those signatures would bring into effect the Armistice that ended WWI.
Across the world, people rejoiced and celebrated the news, including in Australia. Despite the late hour of the day, school, fire station, and church bells around the country rang, waking hundreds of people to share the news that war was over.
Alongside the excitement, there was also a notable sense of loss and grief. More than 60,000 Australian soldiers had made the ultimate sacrifice, more than 150,000 had been wounded or taken prisoner and some 23,000 soldiers were missing. Very few Australian families did not have some link to the war effort.
It would take another six months of negotiations before the Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919 and for exhausted troops to return home to their loved ones. For many, despite returning home, they never truly left the horror of the battlefields behind.
We will remember them. Lest we forget