To mark Remembrance Day (11 November), Great Western Railway organised its annual Poppies to Paddington initiative, which transports wreaths from towns and cities across its network to be laid at the war memorial on Platform 1 at Paddington Station, London.
Veterans Champions and colleagues from our Trust laid a wreath on behalf of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust at Gloucester Railway Station yesterday morning.
Her Majesty the Queen boarded the train departing Chippenham at 0928 yesterday for London Paddington. Upon arrival she laid a wreath of poppies at the war memorial at Platform 1 before meeting The Military Wives Choir, as well as reservists and veterans from recent conflicts working in the railway industry.
Also present was the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, plus representatives from across the entire rail industry.
Poppies to Paddington began during the November 2020 lockdown and has since become a key annual event across the GWR network to honour those lost in past and present conflicts.
In partnership with The Veterans Charity, wreaths were placed on early-morning train services from over 60 stations, arriving at Paddington for the Remembrance Day service. This year, more than 250 wreaths were laid at the war memorial on Platform 1.
This year’s ceremony marked 80 years since the end of the Second World War and remembered the role of the railway in conflict over the past 200 years – from its first military use in the Crimean War to Sir Nicholas Winton’s Kindertransport in 1939 to the support given to veterans and reservists working in the industry today.
Images from yesterday’s Remembrance Day service at Paddington can be viewed here: GWR Poppies to Paddington
