GLENGORMLEY CADETS POPPY OF HONOUR

Cadets from Glengormley Detachment, 1st (NI) Battalion Army Cadet Force (ACF) have been hard at work on a unique project as part of the Volunteering section for Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The Project called  www.poppyofhonour2018  is creating a giant Remembrance Poppy to be constructed of steel and glass.

There will be 1,115,471 individual Poppies one for every British and Commonwealth Servicemen lost during World War 1, including the names of 800 women killed in WW1 and the 306 soldiers who were shot at dawn, who have been granted a Royal pardon.

Lt Shirley Montgomery, Detachment Commander, Glengormley Detachment explained:

“Cadets from Glengormley Detachment will hand write each of the 6000 individual Remembrance Poppies that we have been allocated with the Rank, Name and the date when they were Killed in Action or Missing in Action during World War One.  Then the Poppies, along with small vials containing earth and small artefacts from the Battlefields of World War 1 will be permanently sealed inside the glass and steel Poppy, only when the last hand-written Poppy is placed inside. The cadets are really keen to get on with this and many have now started researching what happened more than 100 years ago.”

During World War One over:

• 60 Million soldiers were mobilised.
• 8 Million soldiers killed or missing in action.
• 7 Million soldiers permanently disabled.
• 15 Million soldiers seriously wounded.
• Commonwealth Countries provided 2,5 million men to fight.

As well as the thousands of volunteers, who of many were women, they all answered the “call” for King and Country in many different roles.

These men were loved ones, someone’s Son, Brother, Father or Uncle and we hope this memorial will ensure that they areemembered and the sacrifice they made for future generations.

We are hoping that this memorial will become the Peoples Memorial to those who never returned to their loved ones or Native Countries.