Great Grandson of Ipswich World War One soldier to unveil 2,018 poppies during Armistice Day commemorations

Please note, Quay Place is now closed.

The Great Grandson of a World War One soldier from Ipswich is unveiling 2,018 hand-crafted poppies at the place where his family name appears on the War Memorial, to commemorate the Centenary of Armistice Day.

Sam Clifford, the Great Grandson of Private Louis Clifford, and Suffolk Mind staff member, will be attending a ‘Healing Memories’ event at Quay Place in Ipswich from 10am on Monday 5^th November.

The event is to support forces personnel, ex-forces, their families and friends by providing information about the services and help available to them. It’s part of a week of activities to commemorate the soldiers named on the memorial at Quay Place which hasn’t seen a remembrance service since St Mary at the Quay (the name of the renovated church) was closed 75 years ago.

Suffolk Mind will host a workshop to explore the symptoms of trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder, and other organisations like The Samaritans, The Royal British Legion and PTSD Resolution will be in attendance.

Sam said: “Having worked at Suffolk Mind for four years, it was so nice to discover that I had such a connection to the beautiful Quay Place and the overall history of Ipswich.

“I’m so excited to learn more about my Great Granddad’s life and I’m proud to be part of this event to honour him and many others whose lives have been affected by war.”

Louis Clifford is one of 22 soldiers named on the War Memorial located at the back of Quay Place. Each of the soldiers has been researched by volunteers over the past 18 months. Their stories will be on display at Quay Place throughout November.

A number of other events are being held at Quay Place in the lead up to 11^th November 2018, 100 years since Armistice Day:

• A Service of Dedication for the War Memorial, Monday 5th November, 7pm. An evening service to remember the 22 local soldiers on the St Mary at the Quay War Memorial for the first time in 75 years. The Service of Dedication will be led by the Bishop of Dunwich, with music by the Felixstowe Salvation Army Band.
• Poetry and Music Recital with Remembrance in Mind, Thursday 8th November, 7pm. A poetry and music recital with Remembrance in Mind including music from the talented musicians from The Royal Hospital School and poetry readings from poets of the Suffolk and Essex Poetry Societies.

Both of these events are free to attend.

Rebecca Herod, Deputy Manager of Quay Place said: “We’re really excited to hold these events, as it’s been 75 years since our local soldiers were commemorated at St Mary at the Quay. The 22 soldiers have stories which they are unable to tell and we have created memories to honour them”.