A day of remembrance.

• The armistice that brought an end to the fighting in the First World War, was signed on 11th November 1918 at Rethondes in the Forest of Compiegne.
• The site was selected by Arthur Toubeau, who was the North Region Railways engineer. He had been instructed to find a private place, where two trains could be brought together. He selected an artillery siding deep in the Forest of Compiegne.
• On the 8th November, British officers and Foch, arrived on a train and pulled into one of the sidings. A while later, another train arrived, one of the carriages still carrying the arms of Napoleon III, for whom the carriage had been built.
• This train was carrying the German delegation and it pulled into another siding. The terms of the armistice was debated over the next three days, with none of the delegation leaving the sidings.

Finally at 0530 hours, the armistice was signed by Matthias Erzberger, head of the German delegation.
Word was immediately sent to the Front, the war was over.