Britain marks its national commemoration day Sunday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two, with thousands of people gathering to say their "Thank you" to those who have served and fallen in the war.
The commemoration started with Queen Elizabeth II laying a bouquet of flowers at a memorial in the forecourt of the Westminster Abbey to all innocent people who have laid their lives in wars.
The Queen was then joined by Prime Minister Tony Blair, and heads of the opposition parties as well as hundreds of war veterans for a memorial service at the Westminster Abbey.
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, told the congregation that the service was a "fitting response" to the terrorist bombings in London on Thursday, which claimed dozens of lives.
Following the service, the Queen attended a veterans' lunch at Buckingham Palace.
A Parade of Standards took place in the Mall in central London and a two-minute of silence observed to remember those giving their lives to the country.
In her address to the nation, the Queen hailed the "unremitting hardship and sacrifice" made by those who have served for the country during the six years of WWII, adding the national commemoration day is "an act of honor" shown to the veterans and their families.
Meanwhile, a fly-past of WWII aircraft Lancaster Bomber dropped one million poppies over Whitehall to mark the countless lives lost in the war.
The event is part of a weekend of remembrance for fallen WWII heroes.
On Saturday the Queen unveiled a memorial in London to commemorate the sacrifices made by millions of women during WWII. One thousand war veterans attended the commemorations.
(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2005)
