They were, perhaps understandably, a little vague at the Tower of London yesterday about exactly how many ceramic poppies there are in the sea of red that fills the moat.
As the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh became the latest members of the royal family to visit the art installation that has become one of the most striking war memorials ever mounted, one of the yeoman warders said that there were some 660,000 so far. About 700,000, said the woman from the press office. “Er, I’ve slightly lost count,” someone else admitted, quietly.
Still, Her Majesty probably wasn’t counting — which was just as well, as they were still going in while she was at the Tower.
In any case, what really matters is how many there will be on Armistice Day, November 11, when precisely 888,246 will have been planted in the ancient dry moat that surrounds the fortress, one for every British and colonial life lost during the First World War.
The installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red was the idea of the ceramic artist Paul Cummins, who wanted to find a way to visualise the war’s catastrophic death toll.
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It was brought to life by the set designer Tom Piper, who said that the Queen described the installation as “impressive”.
He added: “She was very keen to know the numbers involved.
“It’s captured the imagination of the whole nation so I think it’s wonderful we’ve had the Queen at one end and also completely ordinary people coming.”
Cummins said: “The fact she’s come here is a circle because the younger royals came round earlier. The Queen links the generations together.”
The very last poppy will be planted at 11am on November 11, by which time they will form a solid mass of red surrounding the Tower on all four sides. It has not been decided who will plant the last one, but a young person such as a cadet is one idea being considered.
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The next day, an army of 8,000 volunteers will begin to uproot them all, before sending them off to be washed, packaged and posted to their new owners. What took three months to create will take an estimated ten days to dismantle.
Piper said: “I think people will be very sad to see it go.” Cummins added: “The idea is each poppy is one person and we’re never always here.”
The poppies, which are available to buy for £25, have been sold to people all over the world, with about £9 from each one sold going to six service charities: Cobseo, Combat Stress, Coming Home, Help for Heroes, SSAFA and the Royal British Legion.
Describing the project earlier, Cummins said: “The installation is transient, I found this poignant and reflective of human life, like those who lost their lives during the First World War. I wanted to find a fitting way to remember them.”
Piper said: “We didn’t just want regimented rows of poppies, so the installation is like a sea with waves and peaks and troughs.
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“There are poppies tumbling out one of the windows and over the bridge. It really brings it to life.” There had been fears that the recent rain would make it impossible for the Queen and duke, aged 88 and 93 respectively, to cope with the soggy moat. Both insisted on viewing the installation in person, however.
They were greeted at the Tower by its constable, General the Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British Army, and Colonel Richard Harrold, governor of the medieval fortress. In an ancient ceremony, they surrendered their ceremonial keys of office to the Queen, who symbolically touched them.
The first poppy was planted in July by one of the Tower’s yeoman warders, whose work has been continued by volunteers from across the UK and viewed by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
Until the installation is dismantled, a roll of honour, featuring the names of 180 serving military killed during the First World War, is being read out each evening at dusk, followed by the Last Post.
Fertile Ground
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888,246 - The number of poppies to be planted
£9 - The amount that goes to charity for each poppy sold
15,000 - The number of poppies volunteers can plant in one day
16 - Acres of grass covered
5m - The total number of individual parts that make up the poppies
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90 - Tonnes of steel in the rods supporting the flowers