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Four years ago, the centenary of the outbreak of WWI was marked by the Tower of London in spectacular style. ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’, an art installation by Paul Cummins, filled the Tower’s moat with 888,246 ceramic poppies – one for each person from Britain and its then colonies who lost their life in the war. Over four months, around 4 million people visited the display.
This weekend, there’s another centenary: on November 11, it will have been 100 years to the day since the Armistice of 1918 brought the fighting to an end. And once again, the Tower is marking the occasion. Last night, a team including Beefeaters and other members of the armed forces lit around 10,000 torches in the moat, accompanied by a sound installation of singing and poetry. A minute’s silence was also observed.
The memorial ceremony will be repeated every night this week. It’s a fitting conclusion to four years of remembrance, and it’s sure to draw ever greater crowds as the anniversary of the Armistice approaches. See it for yourself at the Tower of London between 5pm and 9pm until Sunday November 11.
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