The WW1 inspired “Fallen for the Fallen” centenary mural has been officially unveiled in the cloisters of Chester Cathedral. The installation forms a major part of the Friends of the Countess of Chester Country Park’s Fallen for the Fallen project.
Aiming to commemorate WW1 and its victims, the project has used a felled cedar tree, planted at the time of the War and at the end of its life, to carve a walking trail of carved poppies leading from the Upton War memorial to the Countess of Chester Country Park.
Julie Mitchell, town crier and local artist, has been the creative director behind the mural installation which has involved pupils from all the Upton schools in its creation. The five panels, which together form the mural, represent and symbolise the learning journey the community has made reflecting upon World War One, they also show the actual journey along the poppy trail from the war memorial to the park and feature the soldiers whose names are on that monument.
At the opening ceremony last Thursday, Canon Jane Brooke, the Cathedral’s acting Dean welcomed supporters and those involved in the project as Major Julian Clayton from the 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment cut the ribbon. Many of the names on the Upton War Memorial were from the Cheshire Regiment, which Major Clayton joined as a young soldier, they combined with others to become the Mercian Regiment in 2007.
Andy Scargill from the Friends group who is coordinating Fallen for the Fallen and spoke about it during the short ceremony afterwards said, “I have seen the mural become a reality over the last few weeks and have even helped create parts of it. However, it wasn’t until I was standing by it, in such a special setting, talking to the invited guests about what it meant that I fully realised how incredibly special this installation really was. I would urge everybody to find time to visit it and witness for themselves what these school pupils have created. The mural is a fitting tribute to those who fell, for us, 100 years ago.”
The mural will be on display in the Cathedral cloisters throughout July and August before moving to a new home.
Photos by Andy Scargill
The Chester blog 