The story of London's Cenotaph and the WFA's ceremony in 2010

Every year The Western Front Association holds a ceremony at the Cenotaph in London. From small beginnings this has grown over the years to one of the major events that take place to mark the Armistice - the day the guns fell silent to end hostilities in World War 1.

The annual ceremony is followed by a service at the Guards Chapel nearby and then a lunch for members of The Western Front Association and guests. The event - organised by members of The Western Front Association - is one of the highlights of the WFA's year and fulfills the association's remit of remembering all those servicemen and women who fell in the Great War. 

This film was recorded on 11 November 2010 - the WFA's 30th anniversary. 

The London Cenotaph, meaning "empty tomb", was initially a temporary structure designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and erected in 1919 for the Peace Day celebrations following World War I. It was built in wood and plaster and unveiled on July 18, 1919. The temporary Cenotaph was part of the Victory Parade on July 19, 1919, where allied troops marched past and saluted it.

The temporary memorial quickly garnered a powerful public response and became a focal point for the nation's grief and remembrance of those lost in the war. Within days, over a million people visited the Cenotaph, leaving flowers and wreaths as tributes to the dead.

The overwhelming public sentiment for the Cenotaph to be made permanent led to the construction of a lasting memorial in Portland stone. The permanent Cenotaph, a slightly revised version of the original design by Lutyens, was unveiled by King George V on November 11, 1920. This coincides with the second anniversary of the Armistice, and the burial of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey