Allies in arms: Belgian and British forces honour the fallen at The Cenotaph

Soldiers, veterans and dignitaries from Belgium and the United Kingdom gathered in the heart of London on 11 July for a moving Service of Remembrance, marking a tradition that stretches back over ninety years.

Each year on the Saturday before Belgian National Day, a unique ceremony takes place in Whitehall. It is a tradition like no other: Belgium is the only non-Commonwealth nation in the world permitted to parade its troops in uniform, bearing arms, in central London. This is an honour bestowed by King George V in 1934 following the death of Belgium's King Albert I, in recognition of the extraordinary heroism and sacrifice of the Belgian Army during the First World War.

This year, The Band of the Coldstream Guards led around 250 Belgian veterans and soldiers alongside 100 UK veterans and cadets in a ceremony that was both solemn and spectacular.

The Service of Remembrance

At 11:00am, as Big Ben struck the hour, a hush fell over Whitehall. As the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed the solemn music of Remembrance, Belgian and British participants gathered at The Cenotaph for a Service to honour their dead. 

Wreaths of fresh summer flowers — imported from Belgium especially for the occasion — were laid with due ceremony. 

The national anthems of both nations rang out across Whitehall: God Save The King for the United Kingdom, and The Brabançonne for Belgium.

VIPs, including the Belgian Ambassador to London, senior officers from both nations, and members of the UK government, attended, reflecting the enduring strength of the alliance between the two countries.

The parade

Following the service, the Band of the Coldstream Guards led the procession down Whitehall and onto Horse Guards Parade, where the King's Life Guard of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment turned out to pay their respects. 

As the procession passed, the King's Life Guard and corner sentries found by the Grenadier Guards saluted the Colours, a moment of quiet but profound ceremony.

The procession then made its way to The Guards' Memorial on Horse Guards Parade, where a second wreath laying ceremony took place in honour of British soldiers, in particular the soldiers of the Guards Division, whose Foot Guards and Cavalry suffered terrible losses in Flanders Fields during the First World War and who played a defining role in liberating Belgium in September 1944.

Flanders Fields Memorial Garden

The final act of remembrance took place at the Flanders Fields Memorial Garden beside the Guards' Chapel on Birdcage Walk. There, a lone cornet player from the Band of the Coldstream Guards sounded the Belgian Last Post, and further wreaths were laid in a moment of quiet reflection.

The garden itself is a gift from the Belgian people to the United Kingdom. Created to mark the start of the First World War Centenary in 2014, it contains sacred soil taken from every battlefield and memorial site in Flanders, a poignant and tangible link to the men and women who gave their lives, and in particular to those who have no known grave.

A bond forged in battle

The ties between Britain and Belgium run deep. Several British Army regiments have their roots in Belgium, among them the Grenadier Guards, founded by King Charles II while in exile in Bruges in 1656, and the Household Cavalry Life Guards. 

Today, that bond is maintained through shared NATO commitments, including at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium, and through the Enhanced Forward Presence on Europe's Eastern border.

The Belgian Parade in London is more than a ceremony. It is a living reminder that the alliance forged on the battlefields of Flanders endures and that those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms will never be forgotten.

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