Britain is to mark the centenary of the Great War with a programme of cultural events, candlelit vigils and a service of commemoration attended by Commonwealth leaders, it has been announced.
The centenary of Britain's entry into the war will be marked on August 4 next year with a service of commemoration at Glasgow Cathedral for Commonwealth leaders on the day after the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in the city.
Streets could be renamed as part of commemorative events starting next year which include a programme allowing two pupils and one teacher from every state-funded secondary school in England to visit the battlefields of the Western Front.
Every secondary school in Scotland will also be offered financial support for visits to European battlefields.
First Minister Alex Salmond said a £2000 grant would be available to every senior school to help meet the costs of trips to Western Front battlefields and war graves.
The £1 million fund, to be administered by Historic Scotland, will give extra subsidies for groups travelling from schools on the Scottish islands.
The educational grant scheme, which will span the six school years from 2013, comes after the First Minister announced a £1m fund for communities to refurbish war memorials ahead of the commemorations.
UK Culture Secretary Maria Miller, unveiling the programme in London, said: "Next year marks the centenary of events which did more than any other to shape the world in which we live today. The Great War was really a turning point in the history of not only this country but the world.
"Every day of the conflict saw extraordinary acts of courage, ingenuity and valour both on the battlefield and also on the Home Front."
"Given the scale of the conflict, it will not be difficult for every family in every village and every town up and down our country and indeed across the Commonwealth to be able to find their own story to tell," she added.
On the same day as the Glasgow Cathedral service, a ceremony with a theme of reconciliation will be held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons, Belgium, where men believed to be the first and last Commonwealth casualties of the war are buried.
A candlelit vigil will be held at Westminster Abbey at the end of the day with the last candle extinguished at 11pm - the moment war was declared.
The event marks a century on from the moment, when in the words of Sir Edward Grey, Britain's Foreign Secretary at the time, "the lamps are going out all over Europe".
The UK Government said it hoped that the vigil would be marked across the country by churches, faiths and other organisations.
The commemoration events will also include the start of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 2016, and further events to mark the battles of Jutland, Gallipoli, Passchendaele and Armistice Day in 2018.
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