Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War; and whether there are plans to dedicate any lasting natural memorials.

The final year of the Government's four year programme to commemorate the centenary of the First World War will see a series of events to commemorate the end of the War, and the path to peace. On Monday 26 March an event was held to commemorate the centenary of the appointment of Marshal Foch as Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front, at the statue of the Marshal in Lower Grosvenor Gardens. It was attended by the French Ambassador, and the French Minister of State for Veterans and Remembrance.

On 8 August we will commemorate the centenary of the the Battle of Amiens and the subsequent 'Hundred Days' Offensive with an event for 2,000 guests in Amiens Cathedral in Northern France. It is being delivered in partnership with the governments of Australia, Canada, France and the United States of America.

The government’s programme of centenary events will culminate on 11 November 2018 with a series of events across the UK to mark the centenary of the Armistice. The National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph will follow traditional lines, to respect its wider purpose in remembering the fallen of all conflicts. The traditional veterans’ parade will then be followed by a civilian procession made up of 10,000 members of the public who wish to show their thanks to a generation who gave so much for the freedoms we enjoy today. An announcement regarding the public ballot for tickets to participate in this procession will be made shortly. During the day, church and other bells will ring out as they did in 1918 to mark the end of the war.

The commemorations will conclude in the evening with a national service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London. Similar services will also take place in Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast.

In addition to the national events, the other elements of government programme, such as the Schools' Battlefields Tours, the schools 'Great War Debates', the Victoria Cross Paving Stones, and funding for the repair and restoration of War Memorials will continue, to ensure that the final year of the War and the Armistice are commemorated appropriately. Historic England will also continue to research and conserve not only war memorials and historic buildings, but trenches and other fieldworks constructed during the war for training purposes, to make sure that our history can be enjoyed by present and future generations. Two of these, the practise trenches at Short Fell, Northumberland, and the earthwork model training trenches at Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, have been added to the National Heritage List for England. A range of information, including detailed research on various sites across the country, can be found on their website.

The Government has no plans to create any lasting natural memorials to the First World War, but I am aware of, and commend, the Woodland Trust’s First World War Centenary Woods initiative involving the planting of millions of trees in four Centenary Woods across the UK, creating beautiful places for the next generation to enjoy whilst providing a living legacy to all those affected by the conflict.