Prince unveils WW1 Memorial Arch

Another image of Prince Harry in front of the memorial arch he officially unveiled in Folkestone earlier today. The arch stands at the top of a hill leading down to the harbour where an estimated 10 million British troops saw their last sight of home before shipping out to war.

Northern Ireland has marked the centenary of Britain's entry into World War One with a gun salute over Belfast Lough. A single cannon shot was fired from Grey Point Fort in County Down at 13:00, at a ceremony witnessed by unionist and nationalist politicians.

News from 1914
The world on the brink of war

When did World War One start?

The first nation to declare war was Austria-Hungary against Serbia on 28 July, 1914. By 3 August 1914 Germany had also declared war on Russia and France, but no battles had yet taken place. This was because it took European armies some time to mobilise.

The first hostile action took place on 4 August, 1914, when Germany marched into Belgium. The first battle was a day later.

Across the UK thousands of buildings will be taking part in a "Lights Out" event at 10pm - they will turn off their lights, leaving only a single light or candle burning - in an act of remembrance.

The event was inspired by the words of wartime foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey, who said on the eve of war: "The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime."

You can find out more on the British Legion website., external

Matthew Price, BBC News, Liege

"This was a city that stood in the German military's way. They thought they were going to push through Belgium easily, but they met with fierce resistance here.

"Events today were quite political here at times, but certainly the focus was on the commemoration and the memory."

@BBCMundo, external has had a variety of comments in, with Antonio Castillo from Guatemala stating: "This is still relevant, of course. Those who don't know their history are condemned to repeat it. Extreme nationalisms are not good. Differences must be tolerated," while Alberto Bernal, from Bogotá, Colombia says, "100 years later, it seems that the war fronts are lining up again".

News from 1914
The world on the brink of war

"We hold it to be a patriotic duty for all good citizens to oppose to the utmost the participation of this country in the greatest crime of our time." The Manchester Guardian, 4 August 1914

Image source, Getty Images

OBJECTIONS TO WAR

As Britain came closer to war, two members of the ruling Liberal Cabinet, John Burns, President of the Board of Trade, and Lord John Morley, President of the Council, resigned in protest. Ramsay Macdonald also resigned as leader of the Labour Party. However, most of the Cabinet remained, including David Lloyd George.

Clarence House has published the full transcript of Prince William's speech, external earlier at the Cointe Inter-allied Memorial in Liege, Belgium. He said: "The peace that we here enjoy together as allies and partners does not simply mean no more bloodshed - it means something deeper than that. The fact that the presidents of Germany and Austria are here today, and that other nations - then enemies - are here too, bears testimony to the power of reconciliation."

News from 1914
The world on the brink of war

"Germany has added to her violation of the neutral territory of Luxembourg a further outrage upon the neutrality of Belgium and perhaps of Holland". The Times, 4 August 1914

Image source, Getty Images

ENTHUSIASM FOR WAR

In July 1914 the prospect of war was increasingly likely. In August, Germany invaded Belgium, a nation Britain had promised to protect. The news was greeted by many with enthusiasm as men rushed to enlist. Many were recruited at events held in music halls.

A teenager, Private John Parr, is thought to have been the first British soldier killed in action in Europe. But 100 years on, mystery still surrounds how he died and who killed him. You can read more about his story on the BBC News website.

Later today, a service will be held at the St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons, Belgium. The cemetery is a gesture of reconciliation - it contains the graves of both British Commonwealth and German soldiers, including the first British soldier to die and a Canadian killed two minutes before the war ended in 1918.

Image source, Source: Imperial War Museum

BBC Newsbeat have put together some powerful images and statistics from the war: the youngest British soldier was a 12-year-old who had lied about his age.

2nd Lt Luke Sheaf of the Royal Anglians will read a poem at the memorial events in Mons later today. He told the BBC's Tim Wilcox that WW1 had shaped the modern army, but that it was impossible to comprehend the conditions the soldiers then were fighting under.

Image source, katrina cummins

Katina Cummins emails: My great-uncle Jimmy Quinn signed up 100 years ago today to the 9th Royal Scots, He landed in France in 1915, My grandmother came down to London from Scotland to work in an ammunition factory. I think of them today especially. I can, and will, never understand the full horrors they went thought during that period.

Image source, AFP

The service in Canberra remembered Keith Heritage, the man recognised as the first Australian to enlist after war was declared.

News from 1914
The world on the brink of war

"Nobody should be so foolish, and, indeed, wicked, as to add to the difficulties of the financial and commercial situation for the public in general by selfishly drawing out an unnecessary amount of money." The Times, 4 August 1914

Image source, Getty Images

British banks close their doors

As war approached, the Bank of England's official lending rate soared from 3% to 10% in just a few days. On Friday 31 July, the London Stock Exchange closed. It didn't open again until 1915.

Charles Twigger comments, external: Remembering my grandfather Norman Leslie Whitaker who bravely fought in the trenches of WW1 but who hardly spoke about it afterwards When he returned from the war his three young daughters (one of them was my Mother) ran away from him because they didn't know who he was.

This is the light at Westminster Abbey that the Duchess of Cornwall will extinguish at 23:00, marking the exact moment 100 years ago that Britain declared war.

Image source, EPA

In London, Chelsea Pensioners pose for photographs with Edwardian-era vehicles during the Great War Centenary Parade.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson lay wreaths in Glasgow.