Since World War I, poppies have been a symbol to commemorate military personnel who have lost their lives in combat, and now they are a way to honor the service and sacrifice of all of our veterans. As members of the Craftworkers’ Guild in Bedford, New Hampshire, it has been our privilege to work with members of the community to create the nearly 100 poppies.

The inspiration for this project came from British ceramic artist Paul Cummins who created over 888 thousand ceramic poppies with the help of English villagers. Each of the flowers represented a soldier who died in World War I. They were placed in a cascade down the side of the Tower of London and into the surrounding moat, in a massive installation titled “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.”

While the display at the Bedford Center Cemetery during the Veterans' Memorial Ceremony on May 27, 2018 was only a tiny fraction of the size of the installation in London that inspired it, the respect and appreciation it represents is every bit as deep and heartfelt as the original one with so many more poppies. With our modest display at the cemetery, the people of Bedford honor our military veterans both near and far, and we thank you for your service and sacrifice.

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