At this time of year, lampposts are festooned with single large poppies measuring 18 inches or so across to honour the fallen.

If you can enlarge the picture you will see Middleton Street in Llandod, or Birmingham on the wolds as we call it, with the said poppies. It was explained to us that the first world war local armies that were raised across Britain from single villages or small areas devastated the communities when the death toll reached such high proportions.  Whilst the whole country suffered the same fate, Wales’ losses was significantly worse as the communities could not re-grow as quickly.  Remembrance day in Wales seems to be more “in the sole” of life than in England.