POPPIES IN THE UK

REMEMBERING THE FALLEN

Why are there so many poppies in the UK?

During my MECD Professional Stay at a British school in October 2015, I visited Peterchurch, Cardiff and Bristol. There were poppies at many places and I took some pictures of them.

Why are there so many poppies in Peterchurch?

http://issuu.com/fairfieldhighschool/docs/christmas-2014

Why are there so many poppies in Cardiff?

Why are there so many poppies in Bristol?

Why are there so many poppies in the UK?

I expected to find many poppies at different places during my MECD professional stay because I had already seen poppies in different British villages, towns and cities in my previous trips to the UK.However, if you are a Spanish tourist and it is the first time you see these flowers, maybe you wander why there are so many poppies in the UK. Well, these red flowers are a symbol of the people who died in different wars defending their country, Britain. They are especially linked to the fallen of the First World War because they grew in the battlefields. Artificial poppies are usually placed on graves and memorial monuments in the United Kingdom on Remembrance day, 11 November. Let’s see some poppies pictured by me in the last years.

Grave in PeterchurchA private (soldier) who took part in the Boer War is buried in the yard of St. Peter’s Church.

War Museum in Cardiff The poppies are spread through the reconstruction of a First World War trench on display at the Firing Line Museum located in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

Panel in a church of BristolThis decorated glass panel was made by a group of children to commemorate the centenary of the First World War in the Church of St. Mary Redcliffe in Bristol.

Monument in Newcastle

This monument was made to commemorate the response of the people to the war call of 1914.

Memorial in York

Memorial at Minster Park which remembers the most important battles of the Great War (1914-1918).

Cross in Durham Cathedral

This cross erected in a chapel of the cathedral of Durham remembers the fallen officers and men from the Durham Battalion.

Memorial in Hay-on-Wye

First World War Monument for the men from Hay and Cusop.

Memorials in AbergavennyGreat War and World War II plaques

Memorial in Leeds

This monument remembers the fallen of the First World War and other conflicts.

Poster of White Poppies

This poster was displayed on a wall in Bristol. It was printed by an association that promotes the white poppies, instead of the red poppies, as symbols of peace.

Why are there so many poppies in the UK?

I photographed all these poppies in my trips to Britain, but I missed the largest amount of poppies ever gathered in the United Kingdom. I’ve just seen some pictures of them on the web. I’m talking about the poppies installed at the Tower of London to commemorate the centenary of the First World Word. Let’s see an image of this installation on the next slide.

Tower of London Poppies

The installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, marked the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 2014. It was created by Paul Cummins and Tom Piper. They used 888,246 ceramic poppies."Tower of London Poppies MOD 45158094" by Photo: POA(Phot) Mez Merrill/MOD. Licensed under OGL via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tower_of_London_Poppies_MOD_45158094.jpg#/media/File:Tower_of_London_Poppies_MOD_45158094.jpg

Why are there so many poppies in the UK?Now you are ready to answer this question, to do that, first, you will have to consider the following different points : - poppies are a symbol of the community because they remember dead relatives and friends- poppies are a symbol of freedom because they remember the people who fought for it- poppies are a national symbol of the United Kingdom because they are a key element of the British culture- poppies are a symbol of peace because they grow on the battlefields where the WW1 soldiers were buried- poppies are a symbol of the British army because it has been adopted by its members and charities.And finally you will have to make your own conclusion.

All the photos were taken by me, except the one about the Tower of London Poppies. "Tower of London Poppies MOD 45158094" by Photo: POA(Phot) Mez Merrill/MOD. Licensed under OGL via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tower_of_London_Poppies_MOD_45158094.jpg#/media/File:Tower_of_London_Poppies_MOD_45158094.jpg

Online sources for some of the texts:“Remembrance day” worksheet by Mr Field and L. Shannon at www.SchoolHistory.co.uk“Tower of London remembers” at http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/poppies#sthash.L8M3PMVj.dpuf

This presentation has been made for educational purposes.