Feature: As Britain falls silent, the nation's war memorials to be protected for future generations

Millions of Britons remembered Sunday the dead of two world wars and people killed in conflicts with a traditional two-minute silence in every town, city and village.

And the country's cultural custodians Historic England announced all 44 war memorials created by celebrated architect Sir Edwin Lutyens have from today been granted the protection of being declared as protected structures to preserve them for future generations.

Lutyens, who died in 1944, is regarded as the greatest British architect since Sir Christopher Wren whose most famous work is London's iconic St Paul's Cathedral.

Today Queen Elizabeth led the commemorations at Lutyens most famous memorial, the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall. The striking design of the Cenotaph brought his skills to the attention of the world.

Lutyens work is regarded as memorials in a pure architectural form, mute symbols of grief, with simple inscriptions weighted with sorrow.

A spokesman for Historic England said: "They all remind passers-by that every name is a human story, a loss, a grieving family. Today, the National Collection of Lutyens War Memorials have been listed."

"Before the First World War Lutyens reputation rested on his designs for country houses moving from Arts & Crafts-style country houses to a Neo-Georgian manor. He set up his architectural practice when he was just 19 years old and as his fame grew, he was appointed in 1912 to design New Delhi, the new capital of India," said the spokesman.

Today 14 of his war memorials have been honored by the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, with a higher listing status, with a further unusual memorial added to the list for the first time, the Gerrards Cross Memorial Building in Buckinghamshire.

It means that from today all 44 First World War memorials by the architect of the Whitehall Cenotaph are now protected, creating for the first time a previously unrecognised national collection by Lutyens.

Tracey Crouch, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Heritage, said: "The commemoration of the First World War Centenary has inspired people all over England to remember our shared history. Our war memorials provide a lasting legacy for those who sacrificed so much."

Roger Bowdler, Director of Listing at Historic England, said: "Lutyens was a key figure in determining how the dead and missing should be commemorated. His designs are admired for the universality of their message. His pure architectural forms are mute symbols of grief, the simple inscriptions weighted with sorrow. These are enduring memorials, which show the power of classical architecture to convey meaning and dignity."

The listing of all of the Lutyens memorials is part of Historic England's pledge to list 2,500 war memorials by 2018, during the centenary of the First World War. Endit