HONOURING THE FALLEN

The first thing that hits you are the crowds standing in their thousands side by side in respectful ghostly stillness interrupted only by random bursts of camera flashes.

“Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” is a reminder that the best art can imitate life — and death. The poppy is a simple, yet significant symbol. One poppy. One life.

The 888,246 poppies in the 11th-century castle’s moat represent all the identified graves and dead commemorated on memorials of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, who were serving in the United Kingdom forces.

The artwork has proved hugely popular, with more than five million people travelling to the landmark to see this quite spectacular monument that fills the Tower of London’s 16-acre moat.

The last poppy was planted on Armistice Day on Tuesday, marking the end of the 1914-1918 war when people around Britain held a traditional two-minute silence.

Today volunteers began the long process of removing the first of the poppies from this haunting, humbling and unforgettable memorial.

It haunts because it reminds us of those who, in many ways, shaped our lives and our country

Wars should never be forgotten.

I can’t ever forget.