Royal Navy helicopter swoops in as Great Western Railway and The Veterans Charity join forces for latest Poppies to Paddington operation

A GWR Remembrance service will mark 70 years since the end of the Korean War.

Great Western Railway will take its support for integrated travel to new heights thanks to support from a Royal Navy helicopter in its latest Poppies to Paddington operation.

Partnering with The Veterans Charity, the Royal Navy Air Station Culdrose will deploy a Merlin helicopter to carry poppy wreaths from their base to Plymouth on Monday ahead of the GWR Remembrance service on Friday 10 November.

With planned engineering work preventing trains from running between Penzance and Plymouth, it means the fourth Poppies to Paddington operation will still serve Cornwall.

Further strengthening this year’s integrated travel approach, Go South West has also kindly provided a bus to collect wreaths from stations through the region and carry them to Plymouth.

This year GWR is remembering 70 years since the end of the Korean War as it once again carries swathes of poppy wreaths from across the network to London Paddington for the special Remembrance service.

Six ‘Poppy’ trains are expected to collect more than 200 wreaths from GWR stations ahead of the service at Paddington’s iconic war memorial on Platform 1.

GWR will especially remember the 81,000-Armed Forces personnel who took part in the Korean conflict, particularly those of the Gloucester Regiment and the Royal Fusiliers, who were involved in some of the heaviest fighting.

Amanda Burns, GWR Sales and Marketing Director, said:

“We’re incredibly grateful to RNAS Culdrose and Go South West for supporting our fourth Poppies to Paddington operation and ensuring poppy wreaths from Cornwall can be placed by the war memorial at Paddington.

“Poppies to Paddington was conceived in 2020 to ensure communities within the GWR network could honour our fallen heroes despite the restrictions in place around Covid-19, and this kind-hearted gesture by RNAS Culdrose and Go South West sums up the very spirit of the occasion.”

Danny Greeno, CEO of The Veterans Charity, said:

“We are very proud to have wonderful support from GWR for this Remembrance initiative which is now in its fourth year. Poppies To Paddington will once again be hugely poignant, paying respects to the fallen. Thanks to great support from the military and railway communities, wreaths are still able to complete their journey from across the South-West to Paddington to form the backdrop to the annual Remembrance service on Platform 1.

“Bringing communities, service personnel and Veterans together to remember in this special way is so important to ensure the sacrifices of the fallen are never forgotten. Our sincere thanks to everyone who is helping to make this happen, especially to GWR and RNAS Culdrose.”

Military personnel and veterans attending services of remembrance can travel to and from the events by train for free on Saturday 11 November and Sunday 12 November.
Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, said the offer was open to serving military personnel in uniform or who show a current Ministry of Defence-issued identity card. Veterans can show a Veterans Railcard, a Veterans Oyster card or other proof of service – such as a Ministry of Defence-issued Veterans ID card.

GWR is also allowing free travel for military personnel and veterans travelling to remembrance events on Friday 10 November.

Poppies to Paddington trains on Friday 10 November

Carmarthen

0618

Llanelli

0653

Swansea

0720

Neath

0732

Port Talbot Parkway

0739

Bridgend

0752

Cardiff Central

0817

Newport

0830

Bristol Parkway

0856

London Paddington

1014

Paignton

0634

Torquay

0639

Torre

0642

Newton Abbot

0651

Poppies transferred to service from Plymouth

0718 dep

Plymouth

0637

Ivybridge

0651

Totnes

0706

Newton Abbot

0718

Teignmouth

0725

Dawlish

0730

Exeter St Davids

0744

Tiverton Parkway

0758

Castle Cary

0844

Frome

0858

Westbury

0910

Pewsey

0927

Hungerford

0941

London Paddington

1029

Great Malvern

0713

Malvern Link

0716

Worcester Foregate Street

0726

Worcestershire Parkway

0738

Pershore

0744

Evesham

0751

Honeybourne

0758

Moreton-in-Marsh

0810

Kingham

0818

Charlbury

0827

Hanborough

0835

Oxford

0846

London Paddington

0940

Taunton

0724

Bridgwater

0735

Highbridge & Burnham

0742

Weston-super-Mare

0755

Weston Milton

0759

Worle

0803

Yatton

0809

Nailsea & Backwell

0815

Bristol Temple Meads

0830

Bath Spa

0844

Chippenham

0857

London Paddington

1006

Worcester Shrub Hill

0725

Ashchurch

0741

Cheltenham Spa

0752

Gloucester

0814

Stonehouse

0826

Stroud

0831

Kemble

0847

Swindon

0902

Didcot Parkway

0919

Reading

0935

London Paddington

1000

Go South West service on Thursday 9 November

Penzance Bus Station

1130

St Erth Railway Station

1200

Truro Railway Station

1250

St Austell Railway Station

1008

Bodmin Town Centre

1415

Liskeard Town Centre

1450

Plymouth Railway Station

1530

Poppies to be taken on 0637 from Plymouth on Friday 10 November