In Pictures, a Poppy for Every Fallen Allied WWI Soldier

 By 
Dustin Drankoski
 on 
In Pictures, a Poppy for Every Fallen Allied WWI Soldier
A woman admires a section of Paul Cummins' installation entitled 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red' created to honor the allied soldiers killed in World War I. Credit: Getty Images/Oli Scarff

In honor of fallen soldiers from World War I, artist Paul Cummins is creating a ceramic poppy field in the middle of London, England.

Cummins project, titled "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red," involves creating 888,246 poppies, each representing a the death of one member of the Allied forces. The poppy is particularly significant as it was a symbol of the end of the war. After the winter fighting of 1914 to 1915, spring saw a large number of poppies bloom over areas that were previously battlefields. Later, Moina Michael would turn the poppy into the symbol of remembrance for WWI.

With the help of volunteers who "planted" the flowers, Cummins' project is slated to be finished by Nov. 11 to mark Armistice Day, when Germany and the Allies signed a cease-fire to end the war.

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