So, to answer your question directly: it’s two minutes. Always has been since 1920. Unless you’re in Australia at dawn, then it’s one minute. But if you’re at any standard Remembrance Day service, expect the double whammy.
And honestly, isn’t that kind of a beautiful thing? We all stop. We all count the same seconds. We all pretend not to hear the pigeon. It’s a weird, wonderful, communal moment of awkward stillness.
Next time you’re standing there, and your feet start to hurt, just remember: you’re only halfway through. You’ve got one more minute of pretending to be a statue. And that, my coffee-drinking friend, is the whole point. Now, go find a poppy and don’t be late for the guns going silent.
