Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red is an installation by ceramic artist Paul Cummins at the Tower of London. Each of the 888,246 poppies planted in the Tower moat represents a British and Commonwealth soldier who died in World War I.
The public's support for the memorial has been unprecedented. Over 4 million people have gone to see the poppies, some queuing for hours in the rain... desperate to catch a glimpse before they are gradually dismantled after Remembrance Day. Some people find the experience very moving, overwhelming even. Others say it is too sentimental, that the artist has beautified the horrors of war by creating something that is an artwork, something pleasing to the eye.
I like to form my own opinion, and I was up well before dawn yesterday and on a train to London... thinking that by going early, I'd be ahead of the crowds, but tens of thousands of people had the same idea. The crowds were too great to get around the full moat, but I did manage to see most of the crimson carpet of poppies.
I think it is a fitting tribute to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War, and one that is very thoughtful. The humble poppy is synonymous with great loss of life in war, and to use them to create this remarkable memorial, truly inspired. It is very sobering to see those 888,246 poppies and realise the scale of human sacrifice in all wars.
