Sunday
Today is Remembrance Sunday, and outside Westminster Abbey there is a Field of Remembrance. The field's crop consists of young men, each commemorated by a wooden cross. I took photographs there last Thursday.
The most effective pictures for evoking what it all looked like were those which hinted at the sheer number of wooden crosses, which in their numbers of course only hinted in their turn at the number of young men killed in war in recent decades.
Who, I wonder, is that particular young man, who was, like me, taking photos? Probably, also like me, just going for an effective shot, rather than remembering anyone in particular. He is (as I later did in the exact same spot) photographing the backs of the crosses nearest to him. The nameless dead.
Other photographers focused tightly in on one particular name and one particular cross.
The oddest photograph I took that day was of a car number plate, on what looked like an official, government, chauffeur-driven Rolls.
At any other time, and with no poppies on the front, that would be a good laugh. But with poppies everywhere, it seemed very peculiar.
Here, alas, is another relevant BBC story.
I've a couple more photos from yesterday mornings activities in Whitehall on my Blog HERE
Posted by Jeremycj at November 13, 2006 12:14 AM
WE1 is the mayor of Westminster's car.
I do hope Her Majesty got permission from the government to hold an anti-war demonstration in Whitehall today though ...
Posted by Julian Taylor at November 13, 2006 12:52 AM
Isn't it nice to see counciltaxpayers money being usefully employed? The WE1 will have cost some serious money, and is entirely superfluous, given they carry a the arms of Westminster anyway.
Posted by guy herbert at November 13, 2006 06:44 AM
It's worth £ 75k apparently. Enought to fund a council traffic light bulb changer for almost a year.
Posted by Tuscan Tony at November 13, 2006 07:16 AM
It's quite interesting to see how large amounts of money are spent in bizarre ways. It's crazy, but most people tend to blame the people rather than the system. Given the self interest of people, it's inevitable that loopholes are going to be exploited.
It's just annoying when people who haven't thought things through go along with calls for "more spending", when there is more than enough money to do much more than governments actually manage to do. Even someone who isn't remotely individualist should work that out...
Posted by Nathan Shepperd at November 13, 2006 10:10 AM
Do any of you actually know what the number plate cost? Or are you just jumping to conclusions? The 75K is a LibDem "valuation," made for the purpose of a political jibe.
Posted by Bill at November 13, 2006 06:55 PM
Actually the Libdem jibe was £90,000 as the cost of the car itself. The real cost was £96,260 plus VAT for a second-hand Rolls Royce Park Ward, including a 3 year warranty. The registration number has always been with Westminster, ever since the 1950's apparently.
Posted by Julian Taylor at November 13, 2006 10:16 PM
