Preparations underway for special Remembrance Sunday service in Exeter

Published: 1 November 2023

A dress rehearsal for the Remembrance Sunday service has taken place at the City War Memorial in Northernhay Gardens.

This year’s service on Sunday 12 November will mark the 100th anniversary of the War Memorial.

To mark the occasion, it will be decorated in knitted poppies which were created in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, and previously displayed at Exeter Cathedral in 2017.

The poppy display can also seen ahead of Remembrance Sunday at Exeter’s historic Guildhall, until Saturday 11 November.

The Devon County Show organised the knitted poppies tribute in 2017 to those from the South West who lost their lives in the First World War.

The inspiration came from a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2016, where hundreds of thousands of handmade poppies turned the grounds red in a tribute to those who had served in the Great War.

The Grade II listed City War Memorial is the most prominent and imposing monument in Northernhay Gardens and was unveiled 100 years ago in 1923.

Funded by public subscription, the structure reveals a dedication not only to the citizens of Exeter, but also to the people of Devon.