Lights went out all over the UK on the night of August 4th 2014 as people came together to commemorate the exact moment that the country entered the First World War, one hundred years before. Big Ben and the Blackpool Tower were among the landmarks plunged into darkness as millions marked the centenary of a war that claimed millions of lives. And the last light to go out was a small candle placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior that flickered in the gathering gloom of Westminster Abbey and which was extinguished in a symbolic gesture by the Duchess of Cornwall.
As four soldiers from each of the nations of the United Kingdom stood watch at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, the duchess stepped forward to put out this final flame. Exactly one hundred years after the start of the conflict, the country was bathed in darkness - but with one flicker of hope. The Pascal Candle remained alight and a flame will burn in Westminster Abbey all the time from that historic moment until November 11th 2018 when it will be a century since the end of the 'war to end all wars'.
The flame put out by the Duchess of Cornwall one hundred years on from the exact moment that Britain entered World War One at 11pm on August 4th 2014
At the ceremony, there were readings from both religious and non religious texts about war, peace and above all, light in the darkness. And the gesture of the Duchess of Cornwall was the last act of a day of commemorations that brought millions together to remember, one hundred years on.
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