You are here:

Armistice through Artefacts

11 November marks the end of the First World War with the signing of an Armistice between the Allied Powers and Germany. The terms of the Armistice came into effect at 11am – the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. This brought the fighting to an end and suspended hostilities until a peace treaty had been signed.

From a naval perspective, the greatest victory came 10 days later with the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet. Operation ZZ, the code name for the surrender of the German Navy took place on the morning of 21 November, 1918. Der Tag or ‘The Day’ saw the largest gathering of warships the world had ever seen. There was no battle. Germany delivered her warships to the British without a shot being fired.

These artefacts from the Museum’s collection provide a snapshot view of the time at sea and then later at home. Click on each image to enlarge it and read more about it.

More to explore.

World War One