London - Cenotaph

The Cenotaph, Britain's memorial to the dead of the two world wars, stands in Whitehall, in the heart of London's government and administrative quarter. Designed by Sir Edward Lutyens, it bears the simple inscription "To the Glorious Dead". The term cenotaph means "empty tomb". Originally constructed of plaster, it was rebuilt in Portland stone in deference to public feeling and unveiled on the second anniversary of the 1918 armistice, 11 November 1920. In the years after the First World War men raised their hats when passing the Cenotaph, even when they were on the top deck of a bus.

The Cenotaph bears no religious symbols, in recognition of the fact that the dead belonged to many different races and faiths, but only military emblems - the flags of the army, the air force, the navy and the merchant fleet. Every year on Remembrance Day (the second Sunday in November) at 11 am a memorial service in honor of those who died is held at the Cenotaph, in the presence of the Queen, Members of Parliament, members of the armed forces and other representatives of public life.