WWI: Paper Poppies - Churches Conservation Trust

WWI: Paper Poppies

Background Information:

During the First World War wild red poppies covered the battlefields of
Belgium and France in the summer months. The prevalence of these
flowers, the juxtaposition of their beauty against the backdrop of war and
their bright, blood red petals meant that these flowers did not go
unnoticed. Largely due to the art and poetry of WWI, poppies were
adopted as a symbol of military remembrance – a symbolism that is still
very powerful and significant today.

The WWI: Paper Poppies activity has been designed as a way in which
people visiting CCT churches can mark the centenary of the First World
War and at the same time contribute to communal installations of art that
will decorate our churches and pay tribute to the people of the parishes of
100 years ago who endured life during the war. Made from copies of WWI
era documents relevant to each church (eg. parish magazine articles,
personal letters, census and military records), these paper poppies quite
literally tell the story of the impact of war on each particular parish.

The idea is that visitors will make single poppies which will then be
gathered together and displayed collectively – creating poppy gardens
within CCT churches that are both beautiful and meaningful.

The activity is very flexible and the craft itself is very straightforward
meaning that this activity can be used across all sites and with people of
all ages. It can be delivered as a workshop for a group or as a self led
activity for general visitors.

Materials and Instructions:

The base materials for this activity, as stated above, should consist of
copied documents from the era of the First World War and preferably
significant to the individual church(es) where you are delivering this
activity. Local archives and libraries, websites such as Ancestry.com and
Forces War Records and appeals within the community are all good
places/ways to source this information. You can also supplement the
church specific materials with more generalised materials from the era
such national newspapers, recruitment posters or copies of the satirical
magazine ‘The Wiper’s Times’ which was actually produced by soldiers
themselves. These resources can be easily found on the Internet. Please
be sure that the materials you use do not breach any copyright
regulations – due to their age most are now in the public domain but do
check. The sourcing of these materials makes an excellent basis
for a volunteer or community project in itself. Once the materials are
sourced print them out on ordinary printer paper for use in this activity.

Templates for the flower heads and leaves are included further on in this
document. Print or glue these templates onto thin card then cut out the
individual shapes which your visitors can then use to trace onto the
copied documents and cut out. The stems can be made by rolling strips of
paper into thin tubes. (The printed surfaces of the paper should face out
on all three components so that people viewing the display can read the
text on them).

There are no rules about how the completed poppies look. It should be
left up to each individual to choose which particular documents they want
to use and how they want to decorate their poppies. But to allow for
choice it is recommended that you provide colouring materials (crayons,
colouring pencils, felt tips) so that your visitors can use them if they so
wish (eg. add red and green colouring).
When the component parts are cut out and coloured (if individuals have
chosen to do so) they can be assembled – cello tape works best however
glue sticks may be used.
It is suggested that you display the finished poppies in planters/pots with
oasis foam or polystyrene in the bottom. You can use wooden skewers to
‘plant’ the poppies in the planters – push the skewers into the foam and
slide the paper tube stems of the poppies over the skewers. This method
of display is just a suggestion – if you have a preferred method of display
for your church(es) please feel free to use that.
Here are some examples of poppies that were made by
participants at a workshop in Sunderland:

Please see the following pages for printable
resources…

WWI: Paper Poppies Display

The poppy has become an evocative symbol
of wartime remembrance.

To commemorate the centenary of the First
World War we are creating a very special
display of paper poppies in this church –
and we need your help. We are inviting all
of our visitors to make their own poppy to
add to this communal display.
Made from copies of wartime documents,
the result will be both a beautiful and
meaningful tribute to the people of this
parish whose lives were impacted upon by
the First World War.

How to make your Paper Poppy:

- chose one of the WWI documents to
make your poppy out of

- trace one of the flower and one of
the leaf templates onto your
document

- cut the flower and leaf out

- you can add colouring to the flower
and leaf if you wish (colour lightly so
the words can still be read on the
document)

- roll a strip of paper into a thin tube
for the for the stem

- assemble your poppy by
taping/gluing the stem, flower and
leaf together

- ‘plant’ your poppy in one of the
flower pots provided