Sunday, January 10, 2016

United Kingdom: The Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red

Yesterday I got seven postcards including one from the United Kingdom. 

It shows the installation The Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London. 
The installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas Red was created by the artists Paul Cummins and Tom Piper and was shown between 17th July and the 11th November 2014. It commemorates the Centenary of World War I and was inspired by a poem. During the time the moat of the Tower of London was filled with 888246 ceramic poppies, each one representing a British or Commonwealth soldier killed during the war. The poppies were produced by a manufacture in Derbyshire and were all funded by donations. 
During World War I the Tower of London was used as mobilisation and recruitment site, as military depot and as prison and place of execution for spies.


With nice stamps:
Royal Navy Submarine Service (from set of four) (issued 10-04-2001)
Working Dogs (from set of six) (issued 05-02-2008)


Thank You very much Kate!

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Here is the poem that inspired the installation.

The Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red
By an Unknown Soldier

The blood swept lands and seas of red,
Where angels dare to tread.
As I put my hand to reach,
As God cried a tear of pain as the angels fell,
Again and again.

As the tears of mine fell to the ground
To sleep with the flowers of red
As any be dead

My children see and work through fields of my
Own with corn and wheat,
Blessed by love so far from pain of my resting
Fields so far from my love.

It be time to put my hand up and end this pain
Of living hell, to see the people around me
Fall someone angel as the mist falls around
And the rain so thick with black thunder I hear
Over the clouds, to sleep forever and kiss
The flower of my people gone before time
To sleep and cry no more

I put my hand up and see the land of red,
This is my time to go over,
I may not come back
So sleep, kiss the boys for me

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