History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. ~Winston Churchill

24 June, 2011

Celebrating the Armistice


On the evening of November 10, 1918, rumours started to spread that an armistice was imminent, but no one was quite ready to let themselves believe it could be over until 11 o’clock the next morning when it was signed by both parties and the First World War was (essentially) over after four miserable years for the men fighting it. Nothing much had been accomplished either way, but it was over. This set of photographs includes formal parades and informal celebrations of the end of war-- and most striking, the joy and relief of the men at the front.



Celebrating soldiers. Source



Canadian soldiers marching through the streets of Mons, Belgium, on November 11, led by pipers and accompanied by children and flags. Source


A celebratory crowd at Ludgate Circus, London (you'll recognize this photo...). Source



Post-war parade of captured German planes, London. Source



Crowds in Glen Innes, Australia, after hearing the news. Source




Massive celebration in Philadelphia, at the feet of a replica Statue of Liberty. Source




A formal parade in Washington DC. Source



Cheering crowds in Sydney, Australia. Source



Parading tanks in London. Source




Smiling soldiers cheering the end. Source

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