Armistice Day Diary

Sir Roland Whitehead (1836 – 1942) was a Liberal MP between 1906 and 1910. He served on the Committee on Works of National Importance during World War One, helping to advise on alternatives to military service for conscientious objectors. His diaries provide a personal insight into many of the events of the War including the Battle of the Somme and Armistice Day. On 11th November 1918, he wrote “The armistice is signed at 5 am and the great war is over and we are victorious.”  Despite the Armistice being signed at 5am, it only came into effect at 11am, meaning that there were six more hours of conflict. Some soldiers lost their lives on that day including Private George Edwin Ellison, believed to be the last British soldier to be killed, who died at 9:30am. Henry Gunther, an American soldier, lost his life at 10:59am.