By PAUL HARRIS Last updated at 10:30 PM on 11th November 2011 They wore their murdered men’s medals with great pride and carried their memories with great sorrow. One bore her devoted Royal Marine’s picture above a poppy on a cross. Another laid flowers in her partner’s honour. All around them were children who would grow up not knowing their fathers. Across the country were scores more like them. Paying their respects: Employees of Lloyd's gather in the company's Underwriting Room for a service Poignant: Two-year-old Sophie Reid plants a remembrance cross in Glasgow Yesterday the three young women were faces among millions across Britain who stood silently in poignant tribute to our war dead at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. But as their sombre images were published around the world in the hours that followed, their faces captured far more than individual loss. In separate pilgrimages to honour the dead, they came to symbolise the kind of suffering that is still being endured by countless widows and bereaved families – 93 years after the guns were supposed to have fallen silent for the last time. Kirianne Curley, 28, placed her crucifix in a field of remembrance at Royal Wootton Bassett for her husband Stephen, blown up by an Afghan teenager who was promised £50 to kill him. Wearing their murdered men's medals with great pride and carrying their memories with great sorrow: Gemma Polino, Christina Schmid and Kirianne Curley Veterans attend the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge in Scotland, many in combat regalia and wearing medals Veteran John Jeffrey, 90, who took part in the D-Day landings, remembers his fallen comrades during a service at the Cenotaph Pause: People around the country have observed Armistice Day - pictured are a builder on a roof in Norwich (left) and two policemen outside the Houses of Parliament The cross joined 35,000 others. Somewhere with family nearby was the couple’s son William, just 18 weeks old when his father died in May last year. In Trafalgar Square, Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid’s widow Christina was among thousands who fell silent at the stroke of 11am, a stillness so widely observed that the sound of Big Ben cut easily through the chill morning air. Doubtless the bomb disposal hero was in the Prime Minister’s mind when he recorded a personal message, broadcast across the Square, in which he paid tribute to servicemen and women ‘putting their lives on the line for us’ from the trenches of World War One to the desert of Afghanistan. Builders observe the silence as they take a break from their labour at their site in Salford, Greater Manchester Kirianne Curley holds a cross of remembrance during a service in Royal Wootton Bassett for her husband Corporal Stephen Curley, right, who died in Afghanistan in 2010 Mrs Curley, wearing her husband's medals, examines the poppies and crosses in the Field of Remembrance in Royal Wootton Bassett Staff Sergeant Schmid, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for defusing 70 bombs, was killed trying to disarm a cluster of explosive devices the day before he was due to return home in 2009. Meanwhile at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Gemma Polino placed flowers for her fiancé Rob Deering, one of thousands to be honoured on a wall of names commemorating those who died in service since the end of World War Two. The 33-year-old Royal Marine corporal was blown up in Helmand Province as he raced to help injured colleagues in 2008. The three women’s poignant presence on this most humbling of days was a reminder that sacrifices are still being made. Members of the public stand silent at 11 o'clock this morning in Canary Wharf Packed: The service at Lloyd's is observed with the ringing of the Lutine Bell, the laying of wreaths before the Book of Remembrance and a two-minute silence Salute: One boy in Southampton gives a gesture of respect during his school's two-minute silence to honour heroes like the injured soldier pictured on the right More than 10,000 people turned out in wind and rain in Plymouth, to welcome home 1,100 fellow Royal Marines returning from their latest tour. They came back without seven of their comrades. Yet the sight of crowds lining the Hoe made it a defining moment in the city’s proud and difficult history – one of the largest military spectacles it has seen since the Second World War. After all the cheers and applause, everything stopped at 11. Had it not been for the fluttering of flags in the distance, the scene might have looked like a still photograph. It was the same at the Cenotaph in London, where old soldiers stood among widows and children of a new generation of heroes to shed tears for comrades of previous wars. Shoppers: Customers and staff pause to pay their respects at the Trafford Centre in Manchester RAF Flt Lt Katherine Muir - a Scottish international rugby player - lays a wreath during the remembrance service at Murrayfield, Edinburgh, as shoppers in Norwich (right) pause for the silence And 4,000 miles away in Afghanistan, they were still falling. Troops on the front line at Nad e-Ali paused briefly between patrols for a brief service to mark Armistice Day, joined by Defence Secretary Philip Hammond. Thirty-nine British soldiers have lost their lives in this area. Less than 48 hours earlier, another family found out what it was like to lose a beloved son in service to his country. But yesterday was a day for the whole country to pay their respects, of course, not just for the military. So in touching cameos across the land, builders lined up on a kerbside and bowed their heads…a schoolgirl sprinkled poppy petals in the Trafalgar Square fountains…City offices came to a standstill… the England football squad broke off training at Wembley…and families assembled around local memorials, where names on bronze plaques were grandfathers, husbands, fathers and brothers. Gemma Polino (left), widow of Marine Robert Deering, examines the National Memorial in Staffordshire today with Susan Goodridge and Diann Turner Crowds observe the silence on Trafalgar Square, where a large number of TV stars were paying their respects Everyone remembered the sacrifices they had made. Everyone knew that more names would inevitably follow. At the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, the Armed Forces Memorial is designed so that at 11am on November 11 a shaft of sunlight passes though a slot in its inner and outer walls and hits a central bronze wreath sculpture. Television stars paid their own tribute to Britain's fallen at an event in London's Trafalgar Square which featured musical performances and readings. Among the performers were Downton Abbey actor Dan Stevens - whose role in the period drama saw him in the trenches - Strictly Come Dancing's Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace, singing trio The Soldiers and soprano starlet Laura Wright. A bugler plays the Last Post at the National Memorial during today's Armistice service there Crowds: Members of the Western Front Association file past the Cenotaph on Whitehall Crowds gathered in the square to watch the performance. Adrian Kies, 85, who served in the Navy from 1944 to 1949, came by boat from the Netherlands to pay his respects. The wheelchair-bound veteran said: 'I came here after the war in 1945 and I saw the first parade and now I will see the last one for myself. 'It's very important for me to come and thank the British people who fought for us. I want to thank the British people for liberating the Netherlands. 'The event means a lot to me. It will be my last one to remember.' Staff Sergeant Richard Maddocks, of the Corps of Army Music, performed alongside his colleagues, Sergeant Major Gary Chilton, from the same regiment, and Lance Corporal Ryan Idzi, of 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. He said of performing in the square: 'It's humbling. We're proud to be serving soldiers, but seeing all these people who are proud of us to do what we've done and what all of our soldiers have done over the years means everything. It was a very proud moment for me.' The packed square fell silent for two minutes after The Last Post was played. After the silence, Londoners and tourists scattered poppy petals in the square's fountain. In a recorded message used at the ceremony in Trafalgar Square, Prime Minister David Cameron said: 'We stand together to honour the incredible courage and sacrifice of generations of British servicemen and women who have given their lives to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today. 'From the trenches of the First World War to the desert of Afghanistan, our Armed Forces have proved time and again that they are the bravest of the brave and the very best of what it means to be British. 'We can never fully repay the debt we owe them.' Homecoming: 1,100 members of 3 Commando Brigade staged an Armistice Day parade in Plymouth Plymouth: It is thought that as many as 10,000 people lined the streets to cheer, clap and welcome home the brave servicemen and women Those attending the Plymouth display included the woman on the left and John Elliott, right, an 83-year-old who served in Italy during World War II and this morning watched his grandson-in-law, Lance Bombardier Nick Powell, on his return to the UK Parade: The Marines line up along Plymouth Hoe to celebrate their return from Afghanistan Mr Cameron added: 'While we're in the park, at the cinema or watching the football, our servicemen and women are out there, day and night, fighting in the heat and dust, putting their lives on the line for us. 'That's the true character of the British Armed Forces - the Army, Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy - of which we are so incredibly proud. 'So today we stop to say thank you, and to remember those who are no longer with us but whose sacrifice and valour will be honoured long after we are gone.' Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: 'Right now, British troops are stationed across the globe - in places as different as Afghanistan, the Falkland Islands, the Caribbean, the Horn of Africa, central Europe and the Mediterranean - fighting terrorism, keeping the peace, delivering aid, defending vital shipping lanes, tackling the scourge of drugs. 'They do it without fanfare. They don't expect thanks. They just get on with the job, and the world is safer for it. 'Our service personnel follow in the footsteps of great men and women and they are a credit to their memory. Today let me take this opportunity to thank them for it - they are at the heart of what makes this country so great.' Remembrance: Philip Hammond lays a wreath today on a memorial at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan Ceremony: The Defence Secretary carries the wreath to mark the end of World War I and to remember those who served in other conflicts A soldier prepares a cross in advance of the Armistice Day parade at Camp Bastion The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, visited the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton, Somerset, to take part in the Act of Remembrance at the Royal Naval Cemetery at St Bartholomew's Church. Meanwhile, representatives of animal charities gathered at the Animals In War Memorial in London's Park Lane to remember the role of animals in conflict. Thousands of friends, family and wellwishers cheered home their loved ones as 1,100 Royal Marines marched through Plymouth city centre. The Marines, sappers and gunners proudly paraded through the Devon town as part of a homecoming following a six-month tour of Afghanistan. It is thought that as many as 10,000 people lined the streets to cheer, clap and welcome home the brave servicemen and women. The parade was preceded by a Remembrance Service which included a two minute's silence on Plymouth Hoe to mark Armistice Day. Tributes are left at the war memorial of All Saints Church in Northampton A poppy placed on a statue commemorating the fallen at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire Joshua Donahue walks with his daughter Addelyne through the Cambridge American Cemetery after a remembrance service Schoolchildren throwing poppies into the fountains at Trafalgar Square following the ceremony there Lt Col Tim Purbrick, of 3 Commando Brigade, said the day offered the chance for troops to remember lost comrades, as well as those who had given their lives in other conflicts. He said: 'There's no time to mourn those fallen when you're out in Afghanistan, so this is an opportunity to remember those who didn't return with us, and those who also suffered life-changing injuries. 'It's also our way of saying thank you to Plymouth for the warm support that's been given to us while we've been on deployment.' At Wembley Stadium, the England football team held a moment of silence before their training session this morning. The team is playing against Spain tonight, and after a long-running battle with governing body Fifa it has been agreed that they will wear black armbands embroidered with memorial poppies In Australia, one of the first countries to observe two minutes' silence at 11 o'clock local time, people lined the streets to commemorate the many Australian soldiers who have died in global conflicts. Silent: The England football observed a moment's quiet before a training session at Wembley stadium Dignified: Captain John Terry, coach Fabio Capello, under-21 boss Stuart Pearce and midfielder Frank Lampard observe the silence at Wembley The Duke of Edinburgh yesterday opened the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, paying tribute to fallen heroes at the Graves of the Unknown British Soldiers. Hundreds of veterans gathered at the site where they undertook a two-minute silence before the Prince met with them to talk about the conflicts. The Field of Remembrance is made up of hundreds of small wooden crosses planted in the grounds of the abbey to create a mark of respect to those who died fighting for their country. Each cross bears the name of a lost loved one, a poppy and often a message of commemoration. Speaking ahead of the parade in Afghanistan today, Mr Hammond said: 'I regard it as critically important that we're here to show how important it is to us the sacrifice that is continuing to be made. 'So the ceremonies that we will have across Britain on Remembrance Sunday are not just about the war dead but this is about an ongoing sacrifice that people here are making on a daily, weekly basis that they all live with every day. 'They get up and go out with the possibility that they may be killed or injured in a combat situation and I think that makes this ceremony here especially poignant. 'It is now the only place in the world where British troops are in active daily danger and lives are being lost and I think it's a way of showing the value that we at home place on the sacrifice and the dedication and the commitment that these people are showing.' Tribute: A lone bugler plays the Last Post as people come to a halt to observe a minute's silence on Remembrance Day in Melbourne Friends and family place red poppies on the honour roll at the Remembrance Day Commemoration Service at the Australian War Memorial today Memorial: Seen from above, this installation at St Paul's Cathedral by artist Ted Harrison, made from 7,000 poppy petals, commemorates the child victims of war Spectacular: The unique artwork, entitled 'Remembering and Honouring the Children of War', is in the centre of St Paul's Honoured: The Duke of Edinburgh laid a cross at the Field of Remembrance (right) at Westminster Abbey as he opened the site in a small ceremony The Defence Secretary was joined by dignitaries including Lieutenant General James Bucknall CBE, deputy commander of Isaf and commander of the UK National Contingent; Ambassador Simon Gass, Nato senior civilian representative; and representatives of the three armed services. They laid wreaths during the parade, Mr Hammond's bearing the message: 'In grateful memory of those who have given their lives in the service of their nation.' After laying the wreath at the memorial, the minister then went to the NAAFI canteen for lunch where he helped himself to sausages before sitting down and talking with the men and women who are fighting the Taliban. The commemoration comes just two days after the latest death of a British soldier in Helmand Province. Territorial Army Private Matthew Thornton, 28, from the 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was killed by an IED while on patrol in Babaji on Wednesday. His death takes the number of UK personnel who have died since operations began in Afghanistan in 2001 to 385. In dsicussion: The Defence Secretary talks to troops as they lunch in the Fort Bastion NAAFI canteen Thanks for lunch: Philip Hammond shakes hands with one of the troops at Fort Bastion after getting their views on the conflict in AfghanistanLest we forget: Britain comes to a standstill on
Armistice Day to remember those brave heroes
who fought and died for the country
The procession was also part of a tribute to honour all those who have fallen on the frontline.
Marines from 3 Commando Brigade - which is made up of servicemen from 30 Commando, 42 Commando and 29 Commando - returned after their deployment on Operation Herrick 14.
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