Article by History Tours Specialist Stephanie Crosbie.
As the 100th anniversary of WWI comes to a close, let us remember a year of breathtaking commemorative exhibits and events across the world. Of these, one of the most fascinating was “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red,” an art installation composed of 888,246 ceramic poppies. Starting on the anniversary of the first battle of WWI and ending on Armistice Day, the poppies were placed throughout the Tower of London’s moat, representing each British and Commonwealth military death during the First World War.
As Explorica’s History Specialist, I had to go and see the poppies for myself while in London and was lucky enough to visit once most of the poppies had been placed. It’s estimated that over four million visitors came to the Tower since July to see the display as the poppies were added, and this is no surprise given the crowds. I could barely make it out of the Tower Hill Tube station and across the street to where thousands of locals and tourists were crowding around to see the poppies before they are removed. It was really powerful to not only see how vast the sea of poppies was, but to also eavesdrop on other bystanders sharing their family histories with each others.
The poppies were sold for charity online for £25 and I found out to my dismay after my visit that they are already sold out! For those who would have loved to see this amazing display, the Wave of poppies right near the Tower entrance was not sold and will be touring the United Kingdom until 2019, when it will find its permanent home at the Imperial War Museum in London. We hope many Canadian Explorica travellers will be able to view it there!
If you want to get involved in a similar project, an interactive installation called ComingWorldRememberMe is currently taking place in Flanders and will be completed in the no man’s land outside Ypres in 2018. 600,000 clay sculptures will be created by the public to represent those who lost their lives in Belgium during WWI. Each sculpture made will be given a dog tag with the names of the victim it represents and the person who created the sculpture. If you’d like your group to create their own piece of history on your tour to Flanders, contact your Explorica Program Consultant to find out how to visit the workshop and make history!
