Big Ben to strike 11 times to mark start of two-minute silence

Bells will chime across the country and worldwide to commemorate lives lost.

Officials say the two-minute silence will mark the official return of the Elizabeth Tower’s bells (PA)

(PA Wire)

Big Ben will be struck 11 times at 11am to mark the start of the two-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday.

Over the past five years the Elizabeth Tower, and the clockwork and bell mechanism within it, have undergone the biggest repair and conservation project in its 160-year history.

The tower, at the northern end of the Houses of Parliament, which is also known as Big Ben after the bell inside, had been covered in scaffolding during the restoration work but that has now been removed.

Officials say the two-minute silence will mark the official return of the Elizabeth Tower’s bells after they were silenced at the beginning of the conservation programme in 2017.

Big Ben will join bells across the country and worldwide to commemorate those who lost their lives in the two world wars and later conflicts.