Tens of thousands of hand crafted figures are laid out at the Olympic Park to mark the centenary of the end of World War One.
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Events and celebrations are already taking place, ahead of this year’s Remembrance Sunday, which coincides with the centenary of the end of WWI.
Poppy sales and attendance at Armistice events have never been so high, according to the Royal British Legion.
London has organised an enormous number of events this week ranging from concerts, installations, parades, war poetry sessions and silent hours. It is a way of bringing people together to commemorate and thank the fallen.
Shrouds of the Somme installation
Tens of thousands of hand crafted figures are laid out at the Olympic Park to mark the centenary of the end of World War One.
Artist Rob Heard, 53, spent the last five years creating shrouds made of calico and binding them over small figures to represent all the British and commonwealth servicemen whose bodies were not recovered from the Somme battlefield.
Each figure is made for an individually named soldier.
The artist worked alone, spending 12 hours a day without any weekends or holidays since 2013.
The figures cover over 4,000 square metres.
Next Sunday, they will be sold off in aid of SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity.
Rob Heard realised he needed to “physicalise the number” so people could grasp the scale of loss on an individual level.
“I tried to count out loud the number killed in just one day at the Somme, but ran out of steam at about 1,500.”
Artist Rob Heard stands among the fallen figures representing the soldiers whose bodies were never recovered from the Battle of the Somme.
Tower of London
At the Tower of London, Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers, a light and sound display has been installed.
Thousands of individual flames fill the moat. Most importantly, this is a public act of remembrance to honour the sacrifice made by WWI soldiers.
At the centre of the sound installation lies a new choral work, One lighted look for me, with words from Mary Borden’s Sonnets to a Soldier.
Westminster Abbey
At Westminster Abbey, people plant tributes in the Fields of Remembrance, each one carrying a personal message to someone who lost their life.
This offers many visitors a moment of reflection to remember loved ones who died in the war.
Tributes outside Westminster Abbey have been attracting crowds
St. Stephen’s Church in Westminster lost 218 members of its parish during the war.
It is organising a week-long programme of events to commemorate the dead.
Its Prayer Vigil this Wednesday included music from the Taize community to help promote an atmosphere of peaceful reflection.
Today, its boys’ choir are putting on a lunchtime poetry recital.
Prince Harry also laid a wreath today. Dressed in full military garb, he was attending a tribute at the memorial set up at Westminster Abbey.
Prince Harry greets the public outside Westminster Abbey this afternoon. Credit: City News
Museums
Numerous museums including the Imperial War Museum and the National Army Museum have special World War One exhibitions.
At the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the centenary exhibition Engineers at War from home front to battle front takes a different approach.
It focuses on the progress and changes achieved in the aftermath of the war.
These include the development of aviation and the acknowledgement that women could work as well as men as they too had been working in munition factories.
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HeadlineArmistice commemorations start across London ahead of Remembrance Sunday
Short HeadlineArmistice commemorations start across London
StandfirstEvents are taking place across London to mark the centenary of the end of World War I.
Events and celebrations are already taking place, ahead of this year’s Remembrance Sunday, which coincides with the centenary of the end of WWI.
Poppy sales and attendance at Armistice events have never been so high, according to the Royal British Legion.
London has organised an enormous number of events this week ranging from concerts, installations, parades, war poetry sessions and silent hours. It is a way of bringing people together to commemorate and thank the fallen.
Shrouds of the Somme installation
Tens of thousands of hand crafted figures are laid out at the Olympic Park to mark the centenary of the end of World War One.
Artist Rob Heard, 53, spent the last five years creating shrouds made of calico and binding them over small figures to represent all the British and commonwealth servicemen whose bodies were not recovered from the Somme battlefield.
Each figure is made for an individually named soldier.
The artist worked alone, spending 12 hours a day without any weekends or holidays since 2013.
The figures cover over 4,000 square metres.
Next Sunday, they will be sold off in aid of SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity.
Rob Heard realised he needed to “physicalise the number” so people could grasp the scale of loss on an individual level.
“I tried to count out loud the number killed in just one day at the Somme, but ran out of steam at about 1,500.”
Artist Rob Heard stands among the fallen figures representing the soldiers whose bodies were never recovered from the Battle of the Somme.
Tower of London
At the Tower of London, Beyond the Deepening Shadow: The Tower Remembers, a light and sound display has been installed.
Thousands of individual flames fill the moat. Most importantly, this is a public act of remembrance to honour the sacrifice made by WWI soldiers.
At the centre of the sound installation lies a new choral work, One lighted look for me, with words from Mary Borden’s Sonnets to a Soldier.
Westminster Abbey
At Westminster Abbey, people plant tributes in the Fields of Remembrance, each one carrying a personal message to someone who lost their life.
This offers many visitors a moment of reflection to remember loved ones who died in the war.
Tributes outside Westminster Abbey have been attracting crowds
St. Stephen’s Church in Westminster lost 218 members of its parish during the war.
It is organising a week-long programme of events to commemorate the dead.
Its Prayer Vigil this Wednesday included music from the Taize community to help promote an atmosphere of peaceful reflection.
Today, its boys’ choir are putting on a lunchtime poetry recital.
Prince Harry also laid a wreath today. Dressed in full military garb, he was attending a tribute at the memorial set up at Westminster Abbey.
Prince Harry greets the public outside Westminster Abbey this afternoon. Credit: City News
Museums
Numerous museums including the Imperial War Museum and the National Army Museum have special World War One exhibitions.
At the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the centenary exhibition Engineers at War from home front to battle front takes a different approach.
It focuses on the progress and changes achieved in the aftermath of the war.
These include the development of aviation and the acknowledgement that women could work as well as men as they too had been working in munition factories.