At 7.03 p.m. the silence fell. The American voices which had whispered tales of bereavement quietened. The world's media, previously desperate for a quote or report, were mute. The accents of a town which never wanted to be famous could no longer be heard.
For one minute, the people of Lockerbie stopped and a lone piper's lament followed as they remembered the night of 10 years previously when a single green dot on a radar screen split first into five and then disappeared, marking the end of Pan Am Flight 103. The death of 259 passengers and crew - and, four minutes later, 11 residents of Sherwood Crescent - followed.
In London, New York and Washington, they remembered also. Big cities are used to such events, but the red sandstone walls of Dryfesdale parish church have had only a decade to become used to the attention thrust upon Lockerbie when at 7.03 p.m. on December 21st, 1988, the Maid of the Seas exploded above the town.
The Scottish Secretary, Mr Donald Dewar, told the congregation at the ecumenical memorial service: "I remember the pain, the shock and the grief of that night. Those events broke violently and tragically into the lives of victims, their relatives and friends, the emergency services and all who lived in Lockerbie."
Mr Dewar brought a message of support from the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and Ms Cathy Hirst, from the US consulate in Scotland, read out President Clinton's pledge to bring justice to Lockerbie. Queen Elizabeth also sent messages of support and condolence.
Earlier, the Duke of Edinburgh laid a wreath in front of the stone monument at Dryfesdale Memorial Garden. As he laid the wreath, Father Pat Keegans, the priest who counselled many of the Lockerbie families, offered a eulogy.
"You will see us laying wreaths at your stone. We want you to be sure that these wreaths are not hollow, empty gestures but a statement and declaration full of promise . . . We will not rest until we have justice and truth, until all responsible for your deaths are held accountable."
Last night's memorial service will probably be the last in Lockerbie. The town does not wish to forget the night when a bomb in a Toshiba radio cassette player on board the New Yorkbound plane exploded overhead. But it wants to be left to remember in private.
The victims of Britain's largest mass murder came from 21 countries including 188 Americans and 44 Britons. Lockerbie yesterday gave their families a final chance to grieve collectively. Ian Black adds: Hopes for a handover of the Lockerbie bombing suspects suffered a fresh blow last night as Col Muammar Gadafy said he wanted an international court and not the Scottish trial being prepared in the Netherlands.
"An international court is the solution, with judges from America, Libya, England and other countries," Col Gadafy said in the television interview recorded a week ago. The Libyan leader said he did not rule out reaching a compromise with Britain and the US.
President Clinton yesterday said an offer to try the two Pan Am bombing suspects in the Netherlands was a "take it or leave it deal" and threatened to seek tighter sanctions against Libya if the suspects were not turned over for trial by February.