Crosses and Poppies in Honour of the Fallen

By Nancy Lee

THE Aberdeen Sub-Branch of the RSL, which was re-established just over twelve months, created a ‘Field of Remembrance’ on the lawn of the Aberdeen RSL Club.

Poppies and crosses honouring Aberdeen’s fallen.

Sandy Morrison, president of the Sub-Branch and former combat engineer in the Army Reserve said, they wanted to remember all of Aberdeen’s fallen soldiers and give family and friends the opportunity to place a name plaque for them.

“Lots of people requested to have the name of a family member included in the field,” said Ms Morrison.

“For some, it is the first time they have had to opportunity to honour a family member lost in the war,” she said.

“I’ve had people moved to tears saying that it’s the nicest thing they have had done for them,” she said.

“The opportunity to remember a fallen loved one from battle, through a cross and a poppy,” she said.

“It makes it more real when you walk through the crosses and see familiar family and community names,” she said.

“It has been a real community project, with people from the Aberdeen Men’s Shed, the two local schools, and patrons of the club and members of the community joining in to help; from making name tags and morning tea to support the laying of the field, to patrons of the RSL rigging up a watering system to keep the poppies alive in the hot weather,” Sandy Morrison said.