IN PICTURES: 10,000 torches lit at Tower of London for STUNNING First World War Centennial
THE TOWER of London saw thousands of torches lit in its dry moat in a stunning tribute to honour the soldiers who died during the First World War, with representatives from the armed forces lighting each torch.
In special memorial event, titled Beyond the Deepening Shadow, 10,000 torches were lit at the Tower of London.
This will be repeated nightly until Remembrance Sunday.
The ceremony began with a ceremonial Beefeater guard bringing a flame into the moat after descending the Tower.
As more and more torches were lit, the moat began to fill with smoke.
Each torch was lit by a representative from the armed forces or a volunteer.
Lt-Col Cathy Braddick-Hughes, who was originally part of the Adjutant General’s Corps, said: “We had remembrance parades every week in Afghanistan in honour of our fallen comrades but I found this very emotional too.”
All of the torches were either staked into place or placed on the ground beneath the Tower.
In total, it took around 45 minutes for all of the torches to be lit.
Once lit, they would remain burning for around four hours.
A spokeswoman for Historic Royal Palaces, which maintains the Tower of London, said: “The flames have a duality, one of remembrance and one of looking forward into the future; the end of the first world war and the lights coming back on.”
During the ceremony, there was also a sound installation that featured choral music and words from the war poet Mary Borden’s Sonnets to a Soldier.
Royal Navy volunteer Midshipman Balraj Dhanda described the tribute as “really, really powerful”.
The message with the sound is not focused so much on those that were lost, but those that were left behind, the bereaved and others who were affected by war
He said: "I think it creates the right atmosphere for people to have their own personal reflections and gives people time with their own thoughts.”
Governor of the Tower of London Dick Harold said: "What is so special about it is it means many different things.
"The message with the sound is not focused so much on those that were lost, but those that were left behind, the bereaved and others who were affected by war."
Onlookers gathered at various vantage points to witness the ceremony for free.
Charlotte Howard, a cook from Hampshire said: “There’s the same sort of buzz that there was with the poppies.
“It’s a wonderful atmosphere but it does make you remember all those who lost their lives.”
A minute of silence was also observed by everyone in attendance.