At 11am on 11 November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent as an Armistice came into effect, bringing an end to the First World War. In 2018 the Royal Australian Mint commemorates the Centenary of this Armistice with this evocative coin, stunningly presented in fine silver.
Between August and October 1918, Australian troops took part in a major Allied offensive on the Western Front.
By the first week of November, the seriously depleted German forces had agreed to an Armistice.
On 11 November 1918, German delegates signed the Armistice with the Allied nations at a railway siding in a forest in France, near the town of Compiègne. The First World War was officially over.
As the news reached Australia, cities and towns erupted into celebration. For Australian troops in France, surrounded by the devastation of war, it was a bittersweet moment. Many described a feeling of numbness, with the news taking several days to sink in.
On the first anniversary of the Armistice, King George V requested that all people of the British Empire suspend their normal activities and observe a period of silence in memory of the fallen. Since then, Remembrance Day is still observed around the world with a minute silence in memory of all casualties of war.
The coins design features a striking design commemorating the Armistice Centenary featuring stylized military motifs and poppies.
This coin has a limited mintage of only 2,500 coins being produced.
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