Poppy soldier

In early November paper poppies are sold by the Royal British Legion to raise funds to help former service people and their families who are in need. The culmination of events associated with remembrance happens on the nearest Sunday to the 11th November (Armistice Day in 1914) in services at churches and cenotaphs. Enterprising people also highlight the events by making and displaying eye-catching poppy-based tableaux. The wire frame person in the photograph above is the sort often seen dressed up with potted plants in summer. In this example artificial poppies have been used and a beret added to make a serviceman. It was outside the town hall in Hereford, and was certainly eye-catching, if a little creepy!

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Remembrance poppies

The poppies and crosses above are a small section of those placed in the grounds of Hereford Cathedral as part of its remembrance of the sacrifice of those who died in the service of their country, and more particularly, given that it is the centenary of the 1918 armistice, those who fell in "the war to end all wars".

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

WW1 remembrance

Remembrance events for WW1 have been extensive over the past four years. Currently, in Herefordshire (and elsewhere for all I know) many businesses, settlements and churches feature a black metal silhouette of a Great War British soldier. The other day I came across another soldier's silhouette in the small cathedral in Newport, South Wales. The tower arch leading into the nave was filled by a large board with a profile cut from it. The edge of the profile was grooved and a string of LEDs had been placed there. This gave emphasis to the profile, and this remarkable and affecting  effect was achieved at a nominal cost.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100