Cornwall lays first wreaths on 'Poppies to Paddington' train on Armistice Day
Tributes have been paid to the fallen on Great Western Railway services to London
Last updated 11th Nov 2021
A train has been travelling from Cornwall to London to honour the fallen on Armistice Day.
The Mayor of Penzance was among the first to lay a wreath on the Penzance service as part of Great Western Railway's 'Poppies to Paddington' event.
Last year saw the first ‘Poppies to Paddington’ when most Remembrance events across the Duchy and in the capital were suspended because of the pandemic.
Swathes of poppy wreaths were placed on GWR services and carried to London Paddington station from across the country.
The event was well supported and earnt GWR the Armed Forces Community Lockdown Award, Most Supportive Business to the Armed Forces during Lockdown.
'Poppies to Paddington' is back again this year as part of the wider 'Routes of Remembrance' across the UK, organised by The Veterans Charity.
Mayor Jonathan How said: "Poppies to Paddington gives us a modern-day echo of the long train ride from Penzance Station that began so many people’s journey to war.
"We must never forget that quite a number of those same people suffered horrific injuries while others never returned at all.
"As poppies coalesce at Paddington it’s important to remember, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, that ‘Jaw-Jaw can never be as bad as War-War’."
The Mayor joined local MP Derek Thomas and representatives of Armed Forces charities at Penzance Station ahead of the train's departure at 5.05am on Thursday 11th November.
On arrival at Paddington, the wreaths were placed at its iconic war memorial on Platform 1 in time for the Armistice Day service at 11:00am.