when the war ended

[Guest mikejc09]

why was it that the war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918

[salientguide]

Coincidence, at least as far as the date was concerned. Admiral Weymiss (??correct spelling?) negotiated the time on behalf of Britain and appeared to think it was rather appropriate. But apparently LLoyd George was absolutely furious with this. He had planned it for later in the afternoon so he could make a dramatic and self glorifying announcement in the Commons at the moment of the wars end. Instead he had to stand up and rather tamely announce the war had already ended at 11 am that morning.

Never one to hold a grudge lightly when full scale revenge would do LLoyd George ensured Weymiss received no recognition in the end of war honours despite having served throughout the conflict!!

True or false LLoyd George fans or detractors?? SG

"Everyone suddenly burst out singing

and I was filled with such delight

As prisoned birds must find in freedom

Winging wildly across the white

Orchards and dark green fields, on-on-and out of sight"

EVERYONE SANG Siegfred Sassoon at the moment of the Armistice.

[Chris_Baker]

The terms of an armistice agreement were agreed at 5am on 11 November, and the ceasefire was ordered to be six hours later. 11am to the Allies and associated powers was noon in Central European i.e. German, time.

[Terry Denham]

And remember that 11.11.18 was only an armistice (cease fire) and the war did not technically end as far as the UK was concerned until 31.08.21 when all the treaties etc had been signed !!!!

[Moonraker]

Ludgershall in Wiltshire is said to have (had) three war memorials, each with a different date for the war's end: 1918 (Armistice), 1919 (signing of Treaty of Versailles peace document) and 1920 (when it came into effect).

August 31, 1921 saw the end of wartime emergency procedures, but civil servants still worked on the assumption that the closure of rights-of-way near sensitive areas in the UK imposed during the war could be maintained for a further two years, and even for three years with the consent of the Railway and Canal Commission. But in May 1922 Government lawyers advised that unless more than fifty controversial cases were processed by the end of August all the closed highways on them would automatically reopen; officials then hastily drafted a bill that would allow them to remain closed if applications had been filed with the Commission. Porton in Wiltshire was one sensitive site, where there was "a very remote chance" of the local quarter sessions approving the permanent closure of cart tracks. (See TNA: WO/32/2662.) I think the Lulworth, Dorset, area was another case in point, as was Bramley ammo depot north of Basingstoke, Hampshire. A very new Ordnance Survey map (c1999) showed a public footpath through the depot before it closed. Surely not, I thought, and there was no trace of on the ground from the west side. I trudged round to the east side, through a farm, only to find a notice warning that the path ahead had been closed since 1926 (I think) and that it was wrongly shown on some maps! (Which takes us a long way off the thread - sorry. Looking at this makes me realise why my partner thinks I'm boring.)

Moonraker