Agreement was finally reached at 5.12am on the morning of November 11 but it was decided that the ceasefire would come into force a 11am - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It has been estimated that on those last six hours of fighting, 2738 men were killed. The Armistice pact brought hostilities to an end and was the prelude to the peace negotiations which took place in Versailles six months later.

First to receive the news locally was the air station at Powerstock/Toller. At 6.30am on the morning of November 11 a wireless message was received stating that hostilities would cease later that day at 11am an the information was quickly passed on to Bridport's mayor, Cllr W.S. Edwards.

The news that war was about to end was widely expected and by mid-morning crowds were already gathering in the streets around the centre of Bridport, many of them carrying flags and some wearing them.

When the mayor appeared outside the town hall to make the formal announcement, the bells of St Mary's Church rang out and the town hall clock, silenced for the duration of the war, struck 11, marking the official time hostilities ceased.

The first message received in Bridport was telephoned to the Bridport News office from an official source, where it had been received by wireless, at about 9.15am.

On the Sunday evening, many hundreds of people waited outside the News office until 10pm, hoping to hear the result of the Armistice terms. On hearing the news on Monday, all the factories and most business establishments closed and the streets were filled with people.

The Bridport News reported that: 'The news that the great war cloud that has hung over the world for four years had lifted and and that the dawn of peace had come was received in Bridport, announced from the News office on Monday morning, with a feeling of thankfulness and joy. The terrible sacrifices in the awful worldwide holocaust have been so great that a sense of great relief entered into the hearts of everybody, but the wounds and sorrows of the titanic struggle have gone too deep to allow glorification and festivity.'

There were scenes of great excitement and happiness. People cheered and shouted with joy and relief that the strains, anxieties and sorrows of the previous four years had finally come to an end and that peace was on the horizon. To add to the celebrations, factories, shops and schools were closed down and the day was declared a public holiday.

The Bridport News reported that 'The town was decked with flags, and motors, horses and traps and even dogs carried the national colours and the colours of the Allied countries that have been fighting with us in the cause of freedom, justice and civilisation.'