Memorial poppies in remembrance of local men who died in World War I are to be installed on a village green in the fortnight leading up to Armistice Day.

Poppies on The Green, a temporary memorial at Childwickbury between St Albans and Harpenden, is being installed next Wednesday, October 29, in memory of the 16 men who lived and worked on the estate and lost their lives in the conflict.

It has been put together by Andie Hill, a member of the Battlefield Trust, a charity dedicated to the preservation of battle site heritage, who wanted to find some way of marking their passing in this centenary year.

And the idea she came up with was to install 16 large identical poppies on the village green and its surrounding area, a place the men would have known well.

Each bloom will bear the name, age and address of one of the men who died amd they will remain in place for a fortnight.

Andie explained that the poppies would be supported on rods made from wood gathered around the estate.

She went on: “These memorial poppies invite residents, visitors and passers-by to take a moment to reflect and consider in their own private way not what separates us, but what binds us together, the fact that we, all of us, walk in their shoes.”

She stressed:: “The intention of this piece is not the glorification of war, religion or state, but is simply this, an opportunity to say their names aloud.”

The names of the Childwickbury men will also be included in the Roll of Honour read out at the Tower of London at 4.55pm next Wednesday

The reading will be available as a podcast on the Tower’s website.

For more information on the men remembered in this installation, go to www.christineaiken.com There is no public parking within Childwick Green, but visitors are welcome on foot.