World War I: Dignitaries attend services in Glasgow, Liege, Mons and London marking centenary of Great War

Updated

Commemorative services have taken place in Britain and Belgium to mark the 100th anniversary of Britain's entry into World War I.

On August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, prompting a four-year global battle that killed more than 9 million people and permanently altered the world's political landscape.

A service at Glasgow Cathedral focused on the contribution of Commonwealth nations to World War I.

Reverend Dr Laurence Whitley led the service, telling those gathered it marked the summer's day 100 years ago when "the world changed".

"Our nations and peoples found themselves in a war the like of which had never before been seen and the memory of which still haunts us all."

More than 38 per cent of Australian men under 44 enlisted. Of those 416,000, about 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded or taken prisoner.

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, who read from the Soldier's Prayer of Commitment during the service, said it was a day to reflect on the sacrifice made by so many Australians.

"Over 400,000 of our men and lots of women wore their country's uniform - 156,000, or a number like that, were wounded or gassed or taken prisoner and...[it] ruined a generation of young Australians," he said.

"So I think as we remember the war, we remember the human cost."

The simple service ended with the handing of a candle to a young boy, which symbolised the message being passed on to the next generation.

The culmination of the UK events was a candlelit vigil at Westminster Abbey, at which the lights were gradually extinguished until only one oil lamp was left burning over the tomb of the unknown soldier.

"As we reflect on the failure of the human spirit that led to an inexorable slide into war, let us spend a moment in silent repentance," the Dean of Westminster, Reverend John Hall, said.

At 11:00pm (local time) the last candle in the Abbey will be blown out to mark the moment Britain was committed to war.

People across the UK were urged to turn off their lights during the service, leaving a single candle burning as an act of remembrance.

Instability still haunts Europe, Prince William tells Belgian service

A service in Liege, Belgium, marked Germany's invasion of the country on August 4, 1914, and the violation of Belgium's neutrality.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge were among the dignitaries who attended the service.

Prince William paid tribute to those who died as he noted that the current fighting in Ukraine showed instability continued to stalk Europe.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: British prime minister David Cameron speaks to the ABC in Glasgow (ABC News)

"We were enemies more than once in the last century and today we are friends and allies," the Prince said, alluding to Germany and its cohorts in the two World Wars.

"We salute those who died to give us our freedom. We will remember them," he told Belgium's King Philippe and other heads of state.

French president Francois Hollande and German president Joachim Gauck were among those at the Liege rites.

In a British ceremony in the Belgian town of Mons, prime minister David Cameron, who also attended the Glasgow service, said those gathered remember the reasons behind the conflict.

"Too often it has been dismissed as a pointless war, fought by people who didn't know why they were fighting, but that is wrong," he said.

"These men signed up to prevent the domination of a continent, to preserve the principles of freedom and sovereignty that we cherish today.

"Perhaps above all, in this the centenary of World War I, we must remember the human stories, conveyed in the poems, the literature and the pictures that still entrance us."

ABC/Reuters

Topics: world-war-1, unrest-conflict-and-war, human-interest, united-kingdom, scotland, england, belgium, australia

First posted