Transport for London (TfL) produced a series of special vinyls and graphics for its various vehicles as part of its tribute for this year’s Remembrance Day.
The organisation has been working with Royal British Legion (RBL) for 10 years to support the annual Poppy Appeal, which raises money to provide life-long support to the Armed Forces Community.
This year, specially designed poppy roundels were installed at 20 Underground, Overground and bus stations across the network, while poppy flags flew at TfL piers across the English capital.
In terms of vehicle wrapping, TfL featured special poppy vinyl designs on its Underground, Overground, DLR and tram vehicles, while giant poppies were wrapped around selected London buses, helping to spread the message of Remembrance Day around London.
Caption: Poppy vinyls will appear on vehicles across the TfL network
“We are proud to once again be working with the Royal British Legion to support their fundraising across our network for veterans and those who currently serve in the armed forces,” TfL director for asset performance delivery Esther Sharples said.
“We know times are tough right now, but anything you can spare for this very important and long-standing cause will go a long way. We hope customers will spot our popular poppy tributes while they use the transport network and pause to reflect on the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces.”
TfL is one of the most famous transport organisations in the world, with the Underground dating back almost 160 years to 1863. At the most recent count, 1.35bn passengers used the Tube in a single year, with trains across the network travelling a collective 83.6 million kilometres.
The entire TfL Underground network stretches a total of 402km, while the busiest station is Waterloo in the heart of London with around 100.3 million passengers each year – more than the entire population of the UK.
As for the Poppy Appeal, the campaign dates back to the aftermath of the First World War, with the poppy flower adopted as the symbol based on inspiration of the famous poem by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.
McCrae, a Canadian doctor who spent time on the Western Front during World War One, wrote the poem after losing a friend in Ypres in Belgium. ‘In Flanders Fields’ portrayed the contrast between the blasted and bombed countryside of the Western Front, and the bright red Flanders poppies.
These resilient flowers flourished in the middle of so much chaos and destruction, growing in the thousands upon thousands, and have since become a symbol of remembrance not just for World War One, but for servicemen and women who have since passed in other conflicts.
Caption: Underground, Overground, DLR and tram vehicles will carry poppy designs
The poem inspired American academic Moina Michael to adopt the poppy in memory of those who had fallen in the war. She campaigned to get it adopted as an official symbol of Remembrance across the US and worked with others who were trying to do the same in Canada, Australia, and the UK.
Anna Guérin, a French woman, also worked on the effort in the UK where, in 1921, she planned to sell poppies in London. It was here she met Royal British Legion founder Earl Haig, who was persuaded to adopt the poppy as the organisation’s emblem in the UK.
“We are extremely grateful for TfL’s fantastic support of the RBL’s Poppy Appeal each year,” Royal British Legion fundraising lead Andy Taylor-Whyte said. “From the poppy roundels at stations to welcoming the hundreds of Armed Forces collectors who’ll be out across the network for this year’s London Poppy Day, we hope that commuters can help us raise as much as possible on this, our biggest fundraising day of the appeal.
“Thanks to TfL, Londoners can show that they care and that the service and sacrifice of serving personnel, veterans and their families will never be forgotten. We would like to say a huge thank you to all TfL staff and customers today – your generosity enables us to continue providing vital support to those who protect us despite never having met us.”