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Interactive

When the Guns Fell Silent

The last minute of the war, November 11, 1918

The film

A short film in memory of the Armistice: a countdown, six title cards, and the 1918 sound-ranging record of the last minute of the war.

Our sound reconstruction, based on the sound-ranging record. Not a recording.

Read the film as text
  1. After 1,568 days of war.
  2. After 20 million dead.
  3. After boys lied about their age to fight.
  4. After trenches stretched 475 miles across Europe.
  5. After one final soldier fell at 10:59 AM.
  6. The guns finally went silent.

Then the 1918 sound-ranging record, “The End of the War.” A Graphic Record. Nov. 11, 1918. 11 A.M. On the left, one minute before the hour. all guns firing. On the right, one minute after the hour. all guns silent.

The photograph in the film: Troops of the Royal Irish Rifles resting in a communication trench during the opening hours of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916. Image: IWM (Q 1).

The photographs are used under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence.

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