A ‘spontaneous outbreak of rejoicing’ across the county

One hundred years ago this month, fighting in World War One came to an end. Scott Lomax describes events in Derbyshire at that momentous time.

AS NOVEMBER 1918 BEGAN, there was a growing optimism across Britain that the world was emerging from a period of darkness that had lasted almost four-and-a-half years. Calls for an Armistice had begun in October and Turkey had surrendered. ‘The end of the war, it has been prophesied, is not only in sight but is at hand.’, the editor of the Derby Mercury remarked in early November.