Diplomats, army officers and policemen gathered at the Maidan Cenotaph on Sunday morning to honour soldiers who laid down their lives in the two World Wars and other conflicts.

Remembrance Sunday is held every year on the Sunday closest to November 11, which is commemorated worldwide as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I. On November 11, 1918, the Allied nations and Germany signed an armistice ending the war, which had killed more than 15 million people.

The British deputy high commission organised the Remembrance Sunday commemoration in Calcutta.

Apart from the officials of the high commission, representatives of the army, police and other foreign consulates in Calcutta attended the event, which started around 10.30am at the Maidan Cenotaph, almost a replica of the Cenotaph in Whitehall in London.

Following floral tributes and a bugle salute, a two-minute silence was observed in memory of those who lost their lives in conflicts.

“Today, we remember those brave men and women who volunteered, fought and died in wars so that we have freedom and a better future. In Britain and India, we come together to salute and honour them. They shall never be forgotten,” said Yemi Odanye, the British deputy head of mission to Calcutta.

After the programme on the Maidan, Odanye laid a wreath at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Bhowanipore.