Pupils at Portsmouth school create stunning poppy pillar for RemembranceÂ

THIS is the towering tribute created by schoolchildren honouring all the men from Portsmouth killed during the First World War.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Nov 2018, 16:30 BST
Updated 12th Nov 2018, 13:47 BST
The Miltoncross Academy Community Poppy PillarThe Miltoncross Academy Community Poppy Pillar
The Miltoncross Academy Community Poppy Pillar

About 900 pupils from Miltoncross Academy united to create the impressive 8ft memorial.

The names of 7,879 servicemen killed in the war are featured on hundreds of separate poppies surrounding the pillar, which has become the centrepiece at the Milton Road school.

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Topping off the emotional tribute are the words from the poem, In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae.

The Miltoncross Academy Community Poppy PillarThe Miltoncross Academy Community Poppy Pillar
The Miltoncross Academy Community Poppy Pillar

The project was coordinated by teacher Mike Tumber, and has received praise from the academy's principal, Fiona Calderbank.

She said: '˜I was very proud of all the students for wanting to take part in this project and for the respect that they have shown towards Portsmouth's heritage.  I was stunned at how the memorial looked when it was completed.

'˜The whole process was very thought-provoking and emotive. It now gives the academy a very real representation of how much Portsmouth gave to and lost in the First World War.'

Related topics:Portsmouth