Share your family story as part of poppies project

An appeal is being made to people who bought one of the 888,246 ceramic poppies created for the extraordinary WW1 centenary art installation at the Tower of London to share their stories.

The Where Are The Poppies Now project invites members of the public who bought a poppy from the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red art project in 2014 to ‘pin’ its location online and describe what it means to them.

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The poignant Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper marked the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. The installation, which was visited by more than 5 million people at the Tower of London, contained one poppy for every British or Colonial life lost at the Front during WW1.

After the installation ended, the poppies were sold for £25 each, raising millions of pounds in aid of six military charities. The aim now is to reunite the poppies digitally using an online map. 

The project website states: 'The poppies that were purchased have since travelled as far afield as the USA and Australia, as well as being taken to war graves in memory of relatives who lost their lives in the First World War. The digital map is a record of the stories behind why each poppy was purchased creating an invaluable archive for future generations.'

The dramatic Wave and Weeping Window sculpture from the centre of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which was gradually surrounded by the sea of ceramic poppies 'planted' by volunteers, is currently touring the UK with 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary. The tour runs until December 2018, when they will go into the ownership of the Imperial War Museums.

Visit the Where Are The Poppies Now website to find out how to record your poppy as part of the project.

Ceramic poppy © Karen Clare for Family Tree