The 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month brought the city to a standstill as people bowed their heads in silence to remember the lives lost during the annihilating wars.

The Remembrance Day commemorative service by the Wollongong RSL Sub-Branch was attended by war veterans, politicians, Australian Defence Force (ADF) representatives, preschool students and civilians.

Read more: What is Remembrance Day and why do we commemorate it?

Wollongong RSL Sub-Branch President John Sperring who recently retired after 50 years of serving across all three branches of ADF acknowledged the sacrifices of the deceased.

"Our Wollongong Cenotaph is one of the 10,000 war memorials all around Australia with names of those who served in World War I, with annotations indicating those who paid the supreme sacrifice," he said.

Mr Sperring said the Union Jack along with the Australian national flag was being hoisted this year to honour the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and ascension to the throne of the new ADF Commander-in-Chief King Charles III.

"I especially acknowledge the service rendered by our First Nations people who contributed to defence of Australia in times of peace and war," Mr Sperring said.

Representing the Royal Australian Navy was Lieutenant Commander Scott Rivett CSM RAN who spoke of the Navy's crucial role in the First World War.

"The British empire went to war in August 1914 and the first Australian Navy had arrived only in 1913, HMAS Australia," he said.

"The Australian forces saw action in the Pacific a little more than a month after their departure where they captured the German wireless stations," he said.

Read more: The wait for lifts at Unanderra station keeps getting longer

Commander Rivett said the Australian navy won its first battle in November 1914 when it sunk a German cruiser SMS Emden in a significant victory for a country with a new navy.

Flick through our full gallery of pictures from Remembrance Day events in the Illawarra below:

The war, however, did not come without a cost.

"From a population of less than 5 million people, 400,000 men and women enlisted for service and over 60,000 paid the ultimate sacrifice," Commander Rivett said.

"More than 100,000 names now appear on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour. We remember them, their sacrifice and we remember that they did not die in vain."

Bouquets and wreaths were laid on the memorial to acknowledge the sacrifices and pay tributes while a lament played in the background.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.