Nation remembers human sacrifice in war as Purple Poppy’s growing presence acknowledges animals’ vital contribution

Kirk Patrakis prepares to lay a wreath in Torquay with his pony, Patrick, wearing a purple coat and sporting a red poppy.

Alan Carr MBE, co-founder of The War Horse Memorial, and one of our Ambassadors, Michael Thompson, pay their respects at our Memorial in Ascot.

Animal lovers, wearing purple poppies alongside the red, honoured the sacrifice of millions of animals on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day this year.

From as far away as Japan, Spain Canada and New Zealand, and from vets, schools and families all over the UK, we have been inundated with orders for pin badges and knitted poppies. More and more people are recognising the role that tens of millions of horses, mules, donkeys, dogs, cats and pigeons have played in the two World Wars and other conflicts.

In a poignant display, 65 horses gathered at Havenstreet Memorial Shrine, on the Isle of Wight, to honour fallen equines. The event brought together friends, families, and members of the equestrian community to pay tribute to these often-overlooked wartime animals. With strong local support, the event raised a total of £560 for the British Legion’s Poppy Appeal and £126 for the War Horse Memorial from the sale of purple poppies.

Organiser Kirsty Newnham said: “It’s incredibly moving to see so many come together to remember not only the soldiers, but also the animals who served with them. They were heroes in their own right and it’s important to keep their memory alive.”

The event concluded with two minutes' silence, as the horses and their riders stood together, surrounded by purple poppies and wreaths. Kirsty added: “It was a powerful visual tribute to the bond between humans and animals that endures even in the face of hardship.”

Nine-year-old Rose and her Dad, Sam, place a wreath of purple poppies at the memorial in Haywards Heath.

In a simple act of remembrance, War Horse Memorial co-founder, Alan Carr MBE, and Honorary President Michael Thompson laid a wreath of knitted purple poppies at the foot of national and Commonwealth monument, Poppy in Ascot. Co-Founder Susan Osborne and Woody, her golden Labrador, made a similar tribute at their village church in the West Sussex village of Cuckfield.

In nearby Haywards Heath, nine-year-old Rose Dungate with dad, Sam, joined representatives from the Royal British Legion, the Town Council and police and fire chiefs as hundreds of local people watched on.

Cheshire Military Museum and the Donkey Breed Society’s Purple Poppies Exhibition highlighted the role of animals in war for Remembrance Day. Cascading purple poppies have gone on display with traditional red poppies, in a new exhibition which brings together stories of horses, donkeys, mules, dogs and pigeons through writings, poetry, artwork and artefacts.

The museum in Castle Square, Chester now hosts the purple ‘Richmond Poppies’ made by crafters in Richmond Yorkshire and mounted on Army camouflage netting from Catterick. The display will remain there until January as part of a collection organised and on loan to Cheshire Military Museum by the Northern Region of the Donkey Breed Society. This is the final leg of the collection’s 2024 tour of three military museums in the north including York Army Museum and Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life. The display moves to The Green Howards Museum in Richmond, North Yorkshire, in the New Year.

Popular attraction at the Donkey Breed Society’s Purple Poppies Exhibition in Chester

Suan Osborne, co-founder of The War Horse Memorial, and her labrador Woody, pay their respects on Armistice Day at Holy Trinity Church in Cuckfield, West Sussex.

Sarah Booth, Secretary of the Northern Region of The Donkey Breed Society explained: “In this exhibition at Chester we are honouring the estimated 16 million animals that took part in World War I. Their versatility, adaptability and bravery were astonishing. Animals were also used in WWII. In more recent conflicts, explosives detection and search and rescue dogs have also been deployed. We work closely with the War Horse Memorial and are so pleased that Chester Military Museum is hosting our collection as part of ‘Purple Poppies: Animals in War’.”

For the first time, Witham Library, in Essex, decorated the two outside pillars, one with purple poppies (see below ) the other red. Librarians inside said they wanted to  acknowledge the role thousands of animals from the county have played in both world wars. 

In Oxford, a metal horse-shaped  installation was decorated with random poppies.