We Will Remember Them

Last week I made a trip into London, to get lot’s of bits and bobs done. One of the things I had to do was visit The Tower of London to see the display of poppies in the moat. For those of you who don’t know, the display is a piece of art featuring ceramic poppies, one for every soldier who lost their lives in The Great War.

Having seen many pictures of the installation I knew it was something very special, but nothing really prepares you for the experience of seeing it close up. Despite absolutely thousands of other people being there, it was really calm and quiet and you were really able to get the sense that all 888,246 poppies represented a young life ended far too soon.

100 years may have passed since the war began, but when you think about all those men, some barely adults who never got to live the long lives ahead of them, never got to get married, never had children and built their own lives. All that potential lost in a war that lasted 4 years.

To me those lives deserve to be honoured and remembered, and I love this beautiful tribute and everything it represents. I hope we never forget lives that have been wasted in conflict and keep up the yearly remembrance traditions for many generations to come. However you feel about war, life is very precious and their short lives should never be forgotten.

I wanted to share a few pictures I took while I was there, although I can’t even begin to capture the magnitude of the display I wanted people who weren’t able to visit to be able to see it and appreciate just how moving and beautiful it is.

Although today is the last day to see the display in it’s entirety, it will take several weeks for the poppies to be removed so if you get the chance, try and see the display in the next few days. Find out more here.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.