At the first stroke of Big Ben at 11.00, the first Minute Gun was fired. 2 minutes' silence. Second Minute Gun.
Then, the Last Post, followed by laying of wreaths, followed by Reveille.
Gun - contemplate;
Gun - stop contemplating;
Last Post - (to the fallen) OK, lads. You've done your duty. You can knock off now.
Reveille - (to the survivors/current troops) Start of the new day. Stand by for fresh orders. (or, The King is dead, Long live the King).
I suppose everybody has his own thoughts and those three minutes or so mean more to me than the rest of the formalities.
Probably changed since my day but can remember in the 70's firing a 25 pdr in Victoria park between RNB and the Guildhall in Pompey on the stroke of 11 and agan 2 mins later. [my time and not the proverbial dockyard clock]. Could not see or hear what was going on in the square.