Immediately prior to the two minutes' silence which marks the beginning of the annual Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph, a lone bugler sounds 'The Last Post', and at the end of the period, 'Reveille' is sounded.

The Last Post was originally a bugle call used in British army camps to signal the end of the day.

Its name derives from the practice of inspecting all sentry posts around a camp, at each of which a bugle was played.

The "last post" was the thus last point of this inspection, and when the bugle sounded there it signalled the end of the military day.

This custom dates from the 17th century, and originated with British troops stationed in the Netherlands, who based it on the Dutch custom, 'taptoe'.

The British military took the 'Last Post' to various countries of the British Empire, where it was incorporated into military funerals as a final farewell, symbolising the fact that the dead soldier's duty was over and he could rest in peace.

Today it is incorporated into Remembrance Day services to begin the short period of silent reflection.

Reveille comes from the French word for 'wake up', and is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise.

At Remembrance Day services in Britain and throughout the Commonwealth, however, 'Reveille' is sounded to mark the end of two minutes' silence.

Together, the 'Last Post' and 'Reveille' symbolise sunset and sunrise respectively, and therefore death and resurrection.