AS the country fell silent to remember fallen servicemen and women, Harry Hayes planted the last ceramic poppy at the Tower of London.
The 13-year-old army cadet planted the last of the 888,246 ceramic flowers, each representing a British or colonial casualty from the First World War, on Armistice Day yesterday, Tuesday.
His great-great-great uncle Private Patrick Kelly of the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards was killed in action on September 27, 1918, just weeks before the war ended, and had been living in Tyldesley and Atherton before he signed up to fight.
Although Harry now lives in Berkshire, many of his family still live in the area, according to his great-aunt Helen Tucker and her husband Philip.
He explained: “Patrick Kelly married Marjorie Nixon and lived in Tyldesley and Atherton where they had a son called Michael Francis born in 1916 and a daughter called Mary known as Mae, born 1918.
“After Patrick's death at the Somme, several years later Marjorie remarried Thomas McCormack and moved to New York City, unfortunately contact with them was lost after the Second World War.
“Harry's great grandparents Frank and Helena Rowe, lived in Tydlesley and their son, Harry's grandfather, Alexander Rowe attended Sacred Heart Primary School together with his sister and my wife Helen.
“Harry’s mum, Eleanor is Alexander and Sue Rowe's daughter and she is married to Des Hayes.
“Helen and I went to see the poppies at The Tower on November 4 and Helen also arranged for Patrick's name to be read out on The Tower Roll of Honour on September 29th, the closest date we could get to the date of his death.”
The first flowers of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red were planted in July and the artwork was officially unveiled by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when 120,000 were in place in August.
The remainder were gradually added over the weeks by an army of 17,500 volunteers.
Each flower has been sold for £25 to raise money for six charities, the Confederation of Service Charities, Combat Stress, Coming Home, Help for Heroes, Royal British Legion and SSAFA (formerly the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association).
Harry Hayes at The Tower of London (Photo: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)
Additional information and video courtesy of Press Association.
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