As 2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War, the 24 Royal Parks and Palaces gardeners and park keepers who lost their lives during the war were recently honoured at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show with the unveiling of a dedicated plaque.
Situated at the heart of a WWI feature garden - ‘Battlefields to Butterflies’- the plaque was a poignant tribute to those who never returned whilst serving their country.
Created in collaboration with Hampton Court Palace’s own gardeners and volunteers, the ‘Battlefields to Butterflies’ feature garden depicted a WWI trench and the effect of nature returning having being given a new lease of life by the Royal Parks gardening team.
As a sponsor of the ‘Battlefields to Butterflies’ project, Vitax Limited was honoured to have been invited to attend the ceremony.
Colin Wetherley-Mein, representing Vitax Limited as a guest of The Royal Parks, said: “Battlefield to Butterflies is a thought-provoking tribute befitting the fallen heroes from the Royal Parks and Palace.”
Attended by representatives of the Royal Chelsea Hospital, the Yeomans of the Tower of London, descendants of those who had died, Royal Parks staff and their guests, a brief service of dedication was held before the plaque’s unveiling.
Following the event, the plaque and part of the display have been relocated to London’s Brompton Hospital to form part of a permanent memorial garden.