French President Francois Hollande (centre) laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier during Armistice Day ceremonies, which mark the 97th anniversary of the end of World War I, yesterday at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris. Officials across Europe laid wreaths and observed a period of silence yesterday in tribute to the millions of soldiers killed in World War I. November 11 marks the day when Germany and the Allies, including France, signed an armistice agreement in Paris, leading to a ceasefire on the war's Western Front. The silence began at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - the time in 1918 when the guns fell silent along the Western Front in Europe.