Photos Alan Green
Amazing knitted and crocheted Remembrance displays have appeared in Birchington.
Resident Karen Everest, the village Toppers group and a couple of Birchington evening WI members set to work after a request from the Royal British Legion.
The Birchington RBL had been so impressed with a Tommy postbox topper created by the volunteers last year that they hoped an even bigger project could take place this year.
Kare said: “The Royal British Legion were surprised and delighted with the Tommy postbox topper that was produced in 2022 and Brian Faulkner approached me in April to ask if we would consider working on a larger project for The Square, Birchington.
“I said yes … little did I appreciate the task in hand! However, together with a couple of ladies from the Birchington evening WI, the toppers group met every Monday morning at Birchington library, others worked at home making poppies as and when convenient.
“In total, we made about 1000 poppies which were attached to a piece of mesh that had been accurately marked out by my husband Brian.
“We are extremely grateful to Birchington Library for allowing us to use a large table which enabled us to knit and crochet in a very sociable space and to get the poppies sewn on the large piece of mesh, which measured 5ft top x 12ft bottom. We are also grateful to Brian Faulkner for supplying the correct shade of red and to everyone who contributed a poppy to the display.
“It has taken approximately six months to finish the project and last Sunday, Brian together with Max Houghton and Brian Faulkner -anxiously directed by me and Angela Harman – hauled the poppy display into place onto the gate at All Saints Church in The Square and thankfully it fitted perfectly – much to my relief!
“We have also placed poppies around the War Memorial, made a new postbox topper to honour the Army, Navy and Airforce which can be found outside the Co-op and of course Tommy is back on the postbox at The Square.”
Remembrance commemorates the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
World War One began on July 28, 1914, ignited by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The conflict lasted four years, three months and 14 days, ending on November 11, 1918.
Almost 7 million civilians and 10 million military personnel were killed during the conflict.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, World War One officially ended when an armistice was signed by Germany and the Allies.
Armistice Day is commemorated each year when people wear paper poppies to remember those who fought and died in conflicts around the world – the red flowers were the only life to flourish on the bloody battlefields of Western Europe.
Remembrance Sunday services take place on the second Sunday in November, this year being November 12.
It was hoped the Great War would be the conflict to end all wars. Just 21 years later World War Two broke out.
Details of Thanet Remembrance services will be published soon
