In Flanders fields the poppies blow – Tower of London Remembrance Tribute
beautiful pictures of such an amazing tribute
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
John McCrae (1872-1918)
These immortal words of remembrance were written on May 3, 1915 from the back of an ambulance near the Essex Farm cemetery where John McCrae’s friend Alexis Helmer was buried. Wild poppies grew from the surrounding ditches and it took McCrae only 20 minutes to pen the famous poem. A mail delivery soldier, by the name of Cyril Allinson, was also in the ambulance with McCrae. Allinson said, “His face was very tired but calm as he wrote. He looked around him from time to time, his eyes straying to Helmer’s grave.”
When the words were written, McCrae passed the note to Allinson without a word. “The poem was exactly an exact description of the scene in front of us both. He used the word blow in that line because the poppies actually were being blown that morning by a gentle east wind. It never occurred to me at the time that it would ever be published. It seemed to me just an exact description of the scene.”
Today in London we remember the 888, 246 British soldiers who were killed in the first World War just 100 years ago. The tribute is in the form of a single hand-made ceramic poppy placed around the historic Tower of London. A single poppy for each soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
The last poppy will be placed on November 11th by the Queen herself in an event that will leave few dry-eyed. This project called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red has turned the Tower of London moat into a haunting display of beauty and gratitude. Over 4 million people have visited so far, and many more thousands are expected before Remembrance Day on November 11th.
The brilliant red poppies filling the moat are a tasteful and dramatic symbol of remembering those lost to war.
Lest we forget…
Are you looking for a tour of London Tower? Be sure to take advantage of at least one of the informative and fun tours offered by City Wonders. While our tour was comped in return for a review, we felt more than satisfied that our extremely knowledgeable and cheerful guide would make anyone’s visit to London more pleasurable and informative. The small group atmosphere was very welcome and the charming personality of our guide made the time seem to pass way too quickly.
Beautiful pictures. I love the Tower of London and think this memorial is wonderful.
The red poppies are so pretty close up yet so powerful when seen from afar. Thanks for sharing these photos and the story behind them.
Thank you for stopping by! Those poppies were SO inspiring to see…really a moving experience.
What an extraordinarily beautiful and emotional tribute~
Wonderful pictures.
I remember watching this story and display develop over the last few months on the UK news. It is a wonderful, symbolic tribute to such a tragic event.
I would love to see this for myself. The brilliant red of the poppies against the starkness of the Tower is powerful.
This is such a wonderful tribute and so visually stunning! I didn’t realize they were ceramic (duh). Thanks so much for sharing this!
What a moving tribute to the loss of the better part of an entire generation. We really don’t even begin to comprehend the magnitude, but this piece’s effect is powerful.
Thanks for sharing. I read an article about this the other day – it’s such a beautiful way to remember our fallen heroes. If we weren’t travelling, I would have loved to have paid my respects.
Stunning shots. What a beautiful tribute!
This is the first I’ve heard about this special tribute to WW 1 soldiers. Thanks for sharing your lovely images so we can see this. I wonder what they will do with all those ceramic poppies when they dissemble the display.
Carole, each one has been sold and will be mailed to the owner after November 11th – the proceeds are to benefit veterans medical programs. What a great idea!:-)
Wow this is stunning! What a beautiful memorial.
What a beautiful tribute.
Stunning photos and the poem brought a tear to my eye as I read it and re-read it and remembered. I wish I could go to London for the 11th to be at what I’m sure will be a very moving ceremony.
There weren’t many dry eyes at the Tower when we were there, I can’t imagine the emotions on Nov 11th when the last one is placed. So beautiful! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
What a great story and the poppies are so vibrant
I’m holding back a tear right now. Your post is a beautiful and moving tribute to those who died in the war. I didn’t know the back story about the poem. I always thought it was touching, but now even more so. I wish that I could see the display in person, but appreciate your wonderful photos in lieu of that.
These look amazing! Such a lovely tribute. It’s a shame I didn’t get to see it myself so thank you for sharing x
Beautiful, lucky you to have caught this installation. I really wish I could see it for myself but I think they are taking it down right after Remembrance Day.
What a poignant memorial to WWI. We had a unique opportunity years ago to visit the WWI battlefields of Belgium and Flanders fields. This brings back those memories of what can occur during war. Thanks for sharing.
beautiful pictures of such an amazing tribute