Queen at First World War memorial

Nov 11 2009

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are joining senior politicians and the heads of the armed forces at a memorial service to mark the passing of the First World War generation.

The ceremony at Westminster Abbey in central London is being held following the deaths this year of the final three veterans of the war living in the UK.

William Stone died in January, aged 108, followed in July by Henry Allingham, 113, and Harry Patch, 111.

The service, being held exactly 91 years after the guns fell silent, will recognise the contributions of both the Armed Forces and civilians during the First World War.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Duchess of Gloucester, patron of the World War One Veterans Association, will be among the British and foreign dignitaries.

The head of the Armed Forces, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, will attend alongside the chiefs of staff of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the Army, General Sir David Richards, and the Royal Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton.

Members of the public from across the UK with links to the conflict have also been invited.

The ceremony has been timed to coincide with the annual Armistice Day two-minute silence at 11am as the nation remembers the sacrifices made by the 1914-1918 generation.

Anne Davidson, the daughter of Mr Stone, a former Royal Navy chief petty officer who fought in both World Wars, will deliver a passage from the Bible at the service.

Another reading will come from 15-year-old Andrew Orr Ewing, whose family has a long tradition of serving the country in the Armed Forces. His great-grandfather fought in the Battle of Jutland in 1916, aged just 16, his grandfather was also a Royal Navy officer, and his father, Lieutenant Colonel David Orr Ewing, is currently serving in Afghanistan with the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.