PICHA::UINGEREZA YAWAKUMBUKA WANAJESHI WAKE WALIOKUFA KWENYE VITA YA KWANZA YA DUNIA

The final ceramic poppy has been planted at the Tower of London this morning, as the nation paid tribute to the millions of British servicemen who have died in conflict since the start of the First World War.

The 888,246th poppy - representing the life of the 888,246th soldier who died in the Great War - was planted by 13-year-old cadet Harry Hayes to mark the completion of Blood-Swept Lands And Seas of Red, the poignant memorial which has filled the Tower's moat and attracted some four million visitors to the Tower of London.

This morning, thousands flocked to the Tower to pay their respects to the nation's war dead, on an especially poignant Armistice Day, 100 years since the start of the First World War.

And, by the time the bugler sounded the Last Post just before 11am, thousands more had gathered to take part in the two-minute silence.

But their numbers were dwarfed by the masses of red ceramic poppies spilling from the historic royal palace.

Volunteers have spent months progressively installing the hand-made poppies - each representing a British and Commonwealth soldier who died during WW1 - in the dry 16-acre moat in front of the tower.

Each of the 888,245 blooms already in the Tower's moat represents a British or Colonial military death during the First World War.

Just before 11am, a 21-round minute gun was fired by the Honourable Artillery Company on the Tower of London's wharf, before the Roll of Honour – containing 200 names of some of the fallen from the First World War – was read out by Constable of the Tower of London General the Lord Dannatt.

After the final name was read out a young army cadet, Harry, from the Reading Blue Coat School Combined Cadet Force, Berkshire, collected the last poppy from artist Paul Cummins and walk towards the raised grass area where he planted the final poppy.

As well as Mr Cummins, artist Tom Piper was at the installation, as well as the volunteers who helped to plant the poppies and beneficiaries from the service charities involved.