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Britain held events on Friday commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
As the day dawned on the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace laid a wreath at the Guard's Memorial in St James Park close to Buckingham Palace in central London.
Wallace was accompanied by General Commanding Officer (GOC) London District Major General, Major General Chris Ghika, and the Garrison Sergeant Major London District, Vern Stokes.
"Today we remembered the hundreds of thousands of people who sacrificed their lives for the greatest achievement of defeating fascism and achieving victory in Europe...The people of this great nation, who at one point stood alone against Nazi Germany, safeguarded our freedoms through their collective endeavour," said Wallace.
The Guard's Memorial commemorates the Guardsmen who died in the First World War and Second World War.
The Armed Forces have led the nation in commemorating the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe and have paid tribute to the enormous sacrifices of the generation in restoring peace to the continent.
The Red Arrows led the tributes with a breath-taking flypast over central London while Royal Air Force Typhoons simultaneously flew over the cities of Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
Military personnel across the UK and on operations around the world paused for a two-minute silence during the National Moment of Remembrance.
Although the enormous public events planned for central London were unable to go ahead, messages of thanks to Second World War veterans were sent from across the Armed Forces, thanking them for their resilience, determination and sacrifice.
Queen Elizabeth II is to address the nation at 9:00 p.m. local time on Friday at precisely the same moment her father, King George VI, made a speech on VE Day in 1945.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a VE Day message that the fight against coronavirus demands the same spirit of national endeavour as shown during World War II.
"We can't hold the parades and street celebrations we enjoyed in the past, but all of us born since 1945 are acutely conscious that we owe everything we most value to the generation who won the Second World War," said Johnson.
(CGTN)
