The siege of Kut, among the battle names of 1915 illuminated on the tower of Big Ben (Photo: Centenary News)

UK Remembrance Sunday: Big Ben lit with poppies & 1915 battles

The UK Parliament has projected poppies onto the BIg Ben clock tower for a second year to mark Remembrance Sunday.

For 2015, there was a special focus on commemorating those who fell a century ago.

Threaded through the poppies were the names of all the major battles of 1915 – from the Alpine War in Italy, to the offensives on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia.

Casualties at sea were also remembered, including the 1,200 passengers and crew who perished when the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania was torpedoed off Ireland.

The projection, described as a ‘key moment in Parliament’s contribution to the Centenary commemorations’, started at dusk on November 8th 2015 and continued through the evening, drawing spectators to Westminster Bridge.

Earlier, Queen Elizabeth led the UK’s traditional Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, commemorating the fallen of both world wars and conflicts since 1945.

Falling poppies were first screened onto the Big Ben clock tower, officially named the Elizabeth Tower in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, to mark the opening Remembrance Sunday of the Great War Centenary in 2014.

The UK Parliament is also making historical and educational resources available as part of its commemorations. Visit Parliament and the First World War for more information.

The 97th anniversary of the Armistice ending the Great War will be marked at ceremonies across the world on Wedneday November 11th 2015. Read more here on Centenary News.

Source: UK Parliament

Images: Centenary News

Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News