Time to Reflect and Remember

A century ago, the guns of the First World War finally fell silent. In 2018, The Royal Mint’s five-year programme commemorating the centenary of the First World War draws to a close. Since 2014 we have told the story of the war in coins, from the outbreak of the conflict in 1914 to the Armistice in 1918. We have marked the contribution of the Armed Forces, told the stories of battles, culture and technology and most importantly, we have honoured the brave men and women who fought on the front line and endured on the home front. Now, 100 years after the Armistice was signed, it is time to reflect and remember.

To mark the centenary of the Armistice, Stephen Raw, an internationally renowned textual artist, has created a design that was shaped from the clay of the Sambre-Oise Canal where Wilfred Owen, perhaps the best known of the war poets, was killed in 1918. The £2 coin features an inscription taken from Owen’s poem, ‘Strange Meeting’, reminding us all of the truth and pity of war. This 22 carat gold Proof edition is a fitting end to the centenary, remembering the cost paid by those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and by those they left behind.