The Surrey town which held the first two-minute silence

What is thought to be the world’s first two-minute silence took place in a town in Surrey and sparked a global tradition.

The people of Farnham gathered to pay their respects on 10 May 1916, three years before the first national silence.

A document found in the National Archives shows the sleepy market town was the first place to commemorate Britain’s war dead from World War One with a silence.

Lauren Wayland, manager at the Museum of Farnham, said: “It really is quite emotional to imagine the energy in that street when the silence was held.”

She added: “There must have been hundreds of people in that crowd who had been impacted by the horrors of war.”

The silence was held in Castle Street before an agricultural fair organised by local farmers to raise funds for the British Red Cross.

Local historian Maurice Hewins said: “It would have been happy chaos.”

At 11:00 BST the crowd paused for two minutes to honour those who had already fallen in the war, the wounded and prisoners of war, and those still fighting on the front lines.

“Press reports said it was very moving and nothing could be heard except some cattle and the occasional movement of a motor car,” said Mr Hewins.

He added: “The boys bugle band played and then there was a short period of silence.”

Existing records do not reveal who came up with the idea.

Ms Wayland said: “This was part way through the war and people were not in the mood to have fun and games.

“This is part of the reason why they decided to hold a two-minute silence as it was acknowledging what was going on at the time and honouring those who had lost their lives.

Mr Hewins said: “We’d taken a pasting at the Battle of Ypres, conscription had been introduced.

“It was difficult not to mark the occasion, to be honest.”

The national two-minute silence was initiated by King George V in 1919.

Ms Wayland said: “I believe that probably overshadows Farnham’s role in bringing the silence to this country.”