General Chat

What an interesting installation, Maddie.....thanks for sharing your experience :-)

Shame, but I don't think I'll be able to visit :-(

Thank you Belle for reminding me of the name. I could have googled it, but you have to be precise what you put in, otherwise gawd knows what comes up.

We have just come back from Shrouds of the Somme. It was quite a sight, all those little models wrapped in white shrouds. Unfortunately what with all the rain some of them have become brown with the mud. However, it makes it all the more real.

Again, it was very quiet, everyone was whispering. There was a speaker in each corner of the field, naming all those soldiers who were killed, but not brought home. Then inside the security tent, around the walls, there were massive cardboard sheets, listing all the names of those soldiers. I hope I am explaining this so everyone understands.

There were also models available to buy, but they were not in our price bracket. We did however, buy a badge. It depicts a marble slab, with a soldier laid out on the top. Each badge is individually numbered, amounting to the 72,396 who were killed.

In another corner of the field, there were little wooden crosses with a date written on them, and under the date, the sum total of soldiers who were killed that day.

I cannot get over the enormity of the work that has been done there. Each model was wrapped, and placed individually. Quite spectacular, and very sobering.

Pleased I could get to visit this too.

Maddie, I've just googled that installation at the Olympic Park as I hadn't heard of it.

it's called Shrouds of the Somme and is to commemorate the 72,396 soldiers whose bodies were never recovered and still remain beneath the battlefields of the Somme <3

It has taken the artist, Rob Heard, four years to make the shrouded individual bodies and the installation. <3

Gwyn another moving act of rememberance <3

There is an installation in Stratford, London, that we hope to visit this week.

A field there, near the Olympic Park has been dedicated to WW1 soldiers who died.

There have been tiny replicas made of each soldier, each hand wrapped in a shroud, and laid out, row upon row.

There has been a fair amount of publicity on the local news, but not sure how much nationally. It is available until 18th November.

That was one of the things I remembered when going to see the Poppies how quiet it was even though there were thousands of people there so I can imagine how eerie it must have being at night but must have added to the experience<3

The pictures I've seen of this installation reminds me a little if the pictures of the battlefields in WW1 with pockets of flames from exploded shells and figures wandering around in the eerily quiet looking for signs of life but in reality recovering those that had fallen :-( <3

So pleased you were able to go, Maddie <3

It must have been quite a sight at the Tower.

Nothing like on that scale, but yesterday our family went to Shorncliffe Military Cemetery near Folkestone.

Lanterns were lit and placed on the graves of all personnel who died as a result of World War 1.
The flame had been brought over from Mons earlier in the day, after lights had been lit there too.
Over a hundred of the graves are of Canadians, but there are other nationalities too including Chinese Labour Corps.
So many countries caught up and affected by the fighting.

As darkness fell, the only light on that hillside were from the flickering flames, as it is away from any street lights.

Liz, the person leading the event said how heartened he had been by the response of young people, when he has talked to them about events in the past.

These tributes will stay with people for a long time, I hope lots of young people learned about things and will pass on the respect.

Lizxx

We have just come home from the Tower. Being the last night it was really packed.

From what we could see, it was some sight. The volunteers lighting the candles were like ghosts walking among the lighted rods. It was eerily quiet too.

Manic to get home, but pleased I went.

I too went to see the Poppies, Maddie ..it was quite a spectacle <3

If you do get a chance to see Beyond the Deepening Shadow, Maddie I would interested to hear what you thought as unfortunately I won't be able to venture up to see it on this occasion :-(

Breathtaking display.

Very lovely display.

We hope to get to see this in the week. It was on the local news last night.

We saw that poppies when they were in the moat. <3

Isn't it just, Mersey. The Press seen to think so too :-)

What a beautiful tribute <3 <3

There are some wonderful tributes to our forces in many places in the U.K. but sadly lots have been vandalised. Young people need to learn respect.

Lizxx

This is the name of the new installation at the Tower of London to commemorate 100 years of the end of The First World War.

It has been designed by Tom Piper who brought The Poppies to the Tower of London moat in 2014.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/explore/the-tower-remembers/&ved=2ahUKEwivyofUuLzeAhUPmbQKHbryABMQFjAHegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw3-whUZqgra5az-Mrhl6J_T&cshid=154139443755

The following link is called The Making of Beyond The Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers:

https://youtu.be/FYO8yKxhGwI