I RECENTLY joined about 200 other volunteers to plant the ceramic poppies in the moat of the Tower of London to commemorate the 888,246 British servicemen killed in the First World War.

After a briefing about how the poppies are individually made and shown our safety gear (goggles and gloves), we set about our task of firstly assembling the stalk, washers and poppy heads before planting them.

The volunteers came from all over the UK. I talked with two ladies from Cumbria who had made the long journey and found accommodation at their own expense because they thought that the dead deserved their respect.

It was very noticeable that 80 per cent of the volunteers were women and all wanted to pay homage to those that were killed. We were watched throughout by a large crowd of visitors to the Tower who applauded our efforts, cheering us on to great effect.

All planting slots have been filled for the well-supported campaign but poppies, at £25, can still be bought.

See poppies.hrp.org.uk/buy-a-poppy.