Peace Celebrations Indian troops marching down Whitehall, 1919.
Oil on canvas, signed and dated along the top and bottom stretcher edges ‘Dora Meeson/ 1919’, by Dora Meeson (1869-1955), 1919. Painted frame
Although hostilities ceased with the Armistice on 11 Nov 1918, World War One (1914-1918) did not end officially until the Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919. In Britain, peace was celebrated on Saturday 19 July that year, with a Victory Parade in London as the main event. A camp for troops taking part in the Parade was set up in Kensington Gardens, while thousands of civilians flocked to the capital for the festivities.