Post by Focus on Jun 10, 2013 14:57:00 GMT
Candlelit vigils will be held across the country to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, ministers announced today.
The centrepiece of events held exactly 100 years since war was declared will be a service held at Westminster Abbey, with a final candle extinguished at 11 pm – the moment Britain’s ultimatum to Germany passed.
Children from every state secondary school will travel to the First World War battlefields while streets could be renamed after soldiers awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery under an ambitious £50 million package of commemorations.
Centrepiece : Westminster Abbey will hold a candlelit vigil to mark exactly 100 years since the outbreak of World War One on August 4 2014
Lamps : The last candle will be extinguished at 11 pm, in an echo of the remark by Foreign Secretary Viscount Edward Grey, who said on the outbreak of war: 'The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our time'
Detailed plans for events to be held on 4 August 2014 were unveiled today to mark the precise moment Britain went to war with Germany.
At Westminster Abbey a ‘candle-lit vigil of prayer and solemn reflection’ will finish with the last candle being extinguished at 11 pm.
It will echo the famous remark attributed to then Foreign Secretary, Viscount Edward Grey, who said: 'The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our time.'
Culture Secretary Maria Miller said: ‘On 4 August 1914 we entered the war - a war like no other the world had seen.
‘It is right we remember and mark the centenary of this momentous day in the world’s history, bringing its importance alive for younger generations and remembering the price that was paid by all involved.’
The Government hopes the vigil will be replicated by churches, faith groups and community organisations across the country.
A service will also be held at Glasgow Cathedral for Commonwealth leaders on the day after the closing ceremony for the Commonwealth Games.
It is expected to recognize the contribution and sacrifices made by soldiers from across the former British Empire.
On the same day an event at the St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons, Belgium will bring together British and German politicians and armed forces for a service of ‘reconciliation’.
The cemetery is close to where some of the battles took place and the first and last Commonwealth casualties of the war are believed to be among the 164 men buried there.
Remembrance : A service will be held at St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons, Belgium, close to where some of the early action of the war took place
Reconciliation : The cemetery has an equal number of British and German soldiers
In a major speech in November setting out his ambitions for the centenary, David Cameron revealed two pupils and a teacher from every state secondary school will be given the chance to visit the great battlefields, such as the Somme, Verdun and Fromelles, and take part in remembrance ceremonies on the Western Front.
The trips will start in spring 2014 and run until March 2019.
They will learn about the war and report back to their classmates on the experience.
The £5.3million project will be run by the Institute of Education and STS School Travel Service, it was announced today.
He said he hoped for a 'truly national commemoration worthy of this historic centenary' which, like the events held to mark the Diamond Jubilee this year, 'says something about who we are as a people'.
The Prime Minister added: 'Whether it’s a series of friendly football matches to mark the 1914 Christmas Day Truce, or the campaign by the Greenhithe branch of the Royal British Legion to sow the Western Front’s iconic poppies here in the UK, let’s get out there and make this centenary a truly national moment in every community in our land.
'The Centenary will also provide the foundations upon which to build an enduring cultural and educational legacy to put young people front and centre in our commemoration and to ensure that the sacrifice and service of 100 years ago is still remembered in 100 years time.'
Psyche : David Cameron said in a speech at the Imperial War Museum last year that the First World War's place in the national consciousness meant it had to be commemorated properly
Visit : The Prime Minister, pictured with schoolchildren in front of a Sopwith Camel by-plane, announced pupils from every secondary school will visit the battlefields
Always honor : the Thiepval Monument in France which honors 72,000 British and South African servicemen who fell at the Battle of the Somme
Education Secretary Michael Gove said: ‘The First World War touched every village and town in Britain.
‘Millions served and almost 900,000 United Kingdom subjects died in action. The loss to this country and to countless families was unimaginable and must not be forgotten.
‘That is why it is important that a new generation should be encouraged to remember the sacrifice of so many.’
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles added: ‘Remembering the huge losses of people and sacrifices made across the Commonwealth during the First World War is something that will unite the whole country next year.
‘It is vitally important that we talk to all communities about this period in history as we mark the centenary.
‘We have a duty to educate future generations about the First World War to ensure that the role our Armed Forces played, and continue to play, in defending the liberties we take for granted today are remembered.’
More than a million Britons died in the First World War. The Battle of the Somme was one of the most deadly in the four year conflict. Here a party of Royal Irish Rifles is pictured in a communication trench on the first day of the Battle of the Somme
Personal accounts of life on the front-line are likely to feature heavily in the commemorations, most notably from the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest day in the history of the British army
Education : Culture Secretary Maria Miller and Education Secretary Michale Gove said it was important that a generation of school pupils got to visit the battlefields to learn about the Great War
The four-year, £50 million programme includes a £35 million refurbishment of the World War One galleries at the Imperial War Museum, to open in 2014.
It is part-funded by £5 million from the Treasury raised fines imposed on banks for financial misconduct.
HMS Caroline, the last surviving warship from the conflict, will have a secure future in Belfast thanks to a grant of up to £1million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
A programme of cultural events, costing £10 million, is to be overseen by Jenny Waldman, who was Creative Producer for the London 2012 Festival.
It will be focused on three main periods: August 2014, July 2016 and Autumn 2018.
HOW THE FALLEN WILL BE REMEMBERED
Commemorations marking the centenary of the First World War will last five years and cost £50 million. They will include :
£5.3 million to allow children and teachers from every secondary school to visit battlefields such as the Somme, Verdun and Fromelles.
National commemorations on August 4, 2014, to recall the first day of the conflict, including candlelit vigil at Westminster Abbey, Commonwealth Service at Glasgow Cathedral and an event at the St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons, Belgium.
There will also be major events on July 1, 2016, to remember the first day of the Somme; and in 2018 to mark the centenary of Armistice Day.
£15 million in grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund to support events across the country. Ideas include friendly football matches to mark the 1914 Christmas Day truce on the Western Front.
A £5 million contribution to the £35 million redevelopment of the Imperial War Museum’s First World War galleries.
A £1 million grant to secure the future in Belfast of HMS Caroline, WW1’s last surviving warship.
Visit by David Cameron and Irish Enda Kenny to the Belgian battlefields where 27,000 Irishmen in the British forces died.
Well it beats making our children visit mosques any day of the week!! - Fx
