Church bells rang as war was finally over

widows and orphans, and for those who had been disabled.

But the main event was the traditional Coventry Godiva procession, which left Barrack Square at 3pm for a tour of the city centre.

Around 150 historical characters were represented, including Lady Godiva, played by Gladys Mann.

Some people in the crowd complained that the procession was too short and passed so quickly that they had no time to work out who the historic figures were.

But a far more serious criticism was the omission from the procession of soldiers and factory workers who had been so crucial to the war effort

Tempers flared that night, sparking three days of rioting in the city centre.

Windows were smashed, shops were looted and more than 100 people were injured.

At the height of the trouble, 7,000 people were involved, with 100 baton-armed policemen trying to restore order.

Some people blamed factory workers who could no longer afford to pay their rent while others accused ex-servicemen, who were struggling to find work and who had been critical of the money being “wasted” on the festivities.

The aftermath of the war saw drastic political, cultural, and social change across Europe, Asia and Africa. Four empires collapsed, old countries were abolished, new ones were formed, boundaries were redrawn, and international organizations were established.

Near-universal voting was introduced in Britain and Germany, turning them into mass electoral democracies for the first time, but it all came at a very high price.

Ten million servicemen were dead, 20 million were injured and 7.5 million were missing.

Nearly 1,000 Coventry-born men died in the conflict, but there are nearly 2,600 names on the main war memorial, marking those who also lived or worked in the city and surrounding areas.

It was meant to be “the war to end all wars” but the concluding peace treaty actually set the stage for World War Two 20 years later as Nazi Germany sought to take back what it had lost, and more.