This sculpture, erected in 2018 to commemorate the end of WW1 is a tribute to not only the human loss of life but also to the over 8 million horses and donkeys that also died. The war horse was placed in the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, a county through which many of the horses passed on their way to the continent.
Poppy falls for Remembrance are enormously popular community projects in the UK. I've featured them on this blog before - they are masses of handmade poppies joined together and cascading down buildings, castles, towers, bridges etc., forming a magnificent display and allowing people to remember in a tangible way.
These hand-knit poppies are joined together in a massive blanket in Hertfordshire.
One of the issues in Canada about a project such as this is the permission needed by the Royal Canadian Legion, which keeps firm control over the poppy and how it's made, used and portrayed. A group in Winnipeg, led by Sheilah Lee Restall who was inspired by projects in the UK, managed to get the Legion's permission and has been hard at work to bring a poppy fall to Manitoba.
Poppies can be knit, crocheted or woven - there's even a loom which will make quick work of a little poppy, though apparently some trial and error is involved, so if you are interested in taking on a project like this, I would advise you to visit the Poppy Blanket Facebook Page for tips. Also, there are many YouTube videos on creating poppies.
Details of the Winnipeg Poppy Blanket project can be found at PoppyBlanket.ca, including instructions on making the poppies and getting the community involved. Working right up until the last moment, the project revealed the blanket publicly at the Winnipeg Jets Game, Nov. 10.
8000 poppies.
Outstanding!
In the course of preparing this post, I found that there was a similar project at Calgary's Church of the Redeemer last year.
UPDATE: The Winnipeg Poppy Blanket made an impact in the Manitoba Legislature after Remembrance Day.
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