The art installation is officially called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red and is made up of 888,246 handmade ceramic poppies. Each poppy represents a British life lost during World War I.
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| A Tower of London Beefeater planting the first poppy |
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| Kate and William visiting the installation earlier this summer. |
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| Poppies in a field in Flanders |
Poppies became the symbol of remembrance following World War I because they grew all over the ravaged battlefields of Flanders. The striking image of pretty blood red flowers (technically weeds) growing despite the death and destruction of war was immortalized by Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae in this poem.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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| A thirteen year old Army cadet placing the final poppy in a ceremony today. |
I think the best and worst part of this memorial is the sheer number of poppies filling the dry moat of the Tower of London. Knowing they each represent a British service member who died is staggering, especially considering that the total number of lives lost in World War I is over 5 million.
The poppies were originally supposed to be removed starting tomorrow as they were sold as part of a veteran's fundraising campaign. The poppies have been extremely popular and drawing huge crowds, so many are petitioning to keep the installation in place longer. I wish I was in London to see it!
Sources and more information about the poppies:
http://poppies.hrp.org.uk
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30000333
http://www.thetimes.co.uk
http://www.independent.co.uk/
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
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