The centenary of World War I has been marked in a variety of ways by many cities up and down the country, and this week Brighton announced how they were going to pay tribute. The plan to turn their roadsides, bowling greens, parks and gardens into a sea of red with the planting of thousands of poppy seeds at the end of March, ready for the poppies to bloom in June for the 100th anniversary of the conflict.
Poppy seeds will be planted throughout the city including Preston Park and in Rottingdean. Many housing estate grass verges will also be transformed into wildflower gardens, and poppies will be growing around the Old Steine War Memorial, a key site for the centenary celebrations. And once the poppies have died out? Councillors have thought of that, too, with the additional planting of other varieties of red flowers to fill the gaps left by the poppies.
Councillors hope that this massive planting project will create a living memory throughout the city. Councillor Geoffrey Bowden said: “The sight of thousands of poppies emerging on wildflower sites across the city will be both stunning and poignant – a fitting way to mark the historic anniversary of the start of the First World War.”
And the idea has been warmly welcomed by many in the area. Former RAF pilot, Bert Willliams MBE, who has been planning a variety of ways to mark the centenary is supportive of the idea, commenting: “I think the poppies are a brilliant idea. I am so pleased that people are taking it up; it’s so important that what happened is not forgotten.”
The city is also implementing other plans to mark the anniversary including restoring war memorials at Brighton Station and at the Sussex Cricket Club, and a ‘passing through the flames’ ceremony at the Chattri Memorial to remember Indian soldiers who died. The New Venture Theatre will be putting on two new productions as well – The Winslow Boy by Sir Terence Rattigan and Not About Heroes, the story of the meeting between Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sasson, First World War poets.
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By Oliver Derek