Julie Pearce, Charles ‘Charlie’ Nettlingham ‘ and Pam Harpley are three residents of Gravesend. On the 1st of January of this year, they each received a special, special gift, one which would have a place in their hearts for years to come. This gift came in the form of one of the poppies sold to the British public during the World War One centenary, with Julie, Charlie and Pam being three lucky recipients. The three of them were kind enough to share their views on the poppies, but first of all, we need a little background detail on these poppies, and how they were part of the centenary.

 

The First World War, of course, was one of the most barbaric and haunting conflicts man has ever witnessed, and one hundred years on from those first fateful days at war, Britain and the entire world stand united in remembrance.

Ceremonies up and down the United Kingdom were summarised beautifully in the form of a special commemoration at the Tower of London, wherein from the 17th of July and the 11th of November 2014, 888,246 ceramic poppies were laid down in the moat surrounding the Tower. Each one of these poppies represented a soldier who had given up their life during the war, with the final result of their courageous and valiant efforts being a Britain free to live as the British feel they should.

Following the installation, these poppies were purchased by the British public, with all the money raised being donated to charities supporting our heroes out at war. Julie, Charlie and Pam were three Gravesend residents to have one of these poppies, and have all reacted to the poppies in their own ways.

 

Julie spoke to me of her experiences whilst at the Tower, and reiterated the delight she had received upon receiving the poppy. “I wanted to see all the poppies as it was a once in a life time event,” she said. “They took your breath away thinking of all the lost souls of war. It was a reflection of life! The reason for wanting a poppy is that it was a memory of someone who gave up their life so that we could live in peace. I have always liked poppies. It was sad that as a little girl if you picked one they didn’t live, not like cutting a rose or daffodil, which can just be put in water and live on. A poppy, daisy, or a buttercup just need to stay where they are growing to be admired. I have silk poppies in my bedroom, I like them so much that I have even made a poppy out of stain glass in my dining room. My poppy stands proud in my living room in a drilled out stone. It still has some dirt and mud from The Tower. We received a booklet with our poppies. Most poppies are red, but we have pink and lilac ones growing in our garden.  Poppies make me smile, they look so beautiful especially when they grow alongside the pretty blue cornflower, we often have that growing amongst the corn in the fields.”

 

Julie wasn’t the only person to be in complete awe at the poppies, with Charlie being very fond of them  as well, whilst also keeping in mind the same respect and remembrance that Julie showed.  He said that, “After seeing the poppies on TV I thought what a wonderful sight. I Went to the tower with Julie and her sister Christine, and the sight that we saw was mind blowing. It took my breath away!

 

Charlie, at 84, actually lived through World War Two, and thus himself was very knowledgeable of what the soldiers had sacrificed. “The thought of each poppy representing a life lost in The Great War brought a lump to my throat. It’s a sight I shall never forget and might never see again.”

 

Pam was not only so marvelled by the sight of the Tower, she called for there to be a similar display every year. “It makes me feel humble,” she said. “You realise the importance of what went on, it should continue every year, putting poppies at the Tower.”

 

From these three people, we can really begin to capture just how much the soldiers sacrificed for us at war, and how us as people, some of us a generation on, are still effected by their actions today.

 

May their actions live on long in our hearts; we will remember them.

 

Joe Paternoster- Gravesend Grammar School