Cadets from Hurstpierpoint College helped install ceramic poppies at the Tower of London’s art installation on Friday 17 October.
The students ‘planted’ poppies for the World War I Centenary commemoration, called ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’. The art piece surrounds the Tower of London in what used to be the Tower’s moat.
The installation began in the summer and was designed by artist Paul Cummins and stage designer Tom Piper. The sea of poppies continues to grow as volunteers help ‘plant’ them. A total of 888,246 poppies will be in place by 11th November. Each poppy represents a British soldier killed during the First World War and the installation marks 100 years since Britain’s involvement in the First World War.
The College has arranged the purchase of five of the handmade ceramic poppies from the installation to be displayed with the College Chapel war memorial. The money raised from the sale of the poppies is going to six service charities; The Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes, Coming Home, Cobseo, Combat Stress and SSAFA.
Many former students and staff from the College served in the First World War from 1914 to 1918. 108 boys and four members of staff lost their lives in the conflict. The College remembers them individually every year in November during a Chapel memorial service in which each man’s name is read out by the Headmaster.
This year, Hurst set up their World War I Digital Memorial which includes the College’s extensive War Register, the entire collection of the school’s Hurstjohnian newsletters from 1913 to 1918 and a digital archive of old photographs. From November the archive will be available for members of the public to access online. For further information about the Hurst Digital Memorial, contact archives@hppc.co.uk.
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