London Evening Standard/London

Londoners stayed up “right through the night” to pay tribute at the ceramic poppy field at the Tower of London as the awe-inspiring display neared its climax.
Amid the solemnity, there was also jubilation that one of the capital’s most breathtaking but short-lived artworks — Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red — was granted a stay of execution following the Evening Standard’s Save Our Poppies campaign.
David Cameron, who announced plans to keep part of the exhibition open for longer, said: “The extraordinary poppy display at the Tower of London has caught the imagination of people across Britain and it was a privilege to visit it on Saturday with my family. I’m pleased an important section of this memorable display will now be saved permanently for the nation at the newly refurbished Imperial War Museum.
“It will help future generations remember the huge sacrifice British men and women down the ages have made for our freedom.”
Mayor Boris Johnson said: “There have understandably been calls to allow more people to see them. The authorities at the Tower of London have listened, and they have taken action.
“They deserve to be congratulated, just as they deserve congratulations for their courage in staging this display — and without a penny, so far, of public support.”
He added: “Yes, there will be a sense of loss and of bereavement among the public when the poppies finally go. That is sad, and inevitable; and it is also fitting and in perfect keeping with the message of that field of mortal flowers.”
An astonishing four million people are expected to have viewed the display by the time the last poppy is planted just before 11am today.
Plans include keeping part of the field intact until the end of this month so that every Londoner will have the chance to pay their respects.
Two features of the work — the “Weeping Window” cascade of poppies from a window of the Tower and “Wave”, a curling surge of poppies by the Tower entrance — will go on a three-year tour of the UK before going to the Imperial War Museums in London and Manchester.
Guards at the Tower said there were “people here 24 hours, right through the night”.
Royal Corps of Signals veteran William Dedman, 78, from Merton, said: “My grandfather served in World War I, part of his heel was blown away. But those soldiers never talked about it. Being here today is very emotional. I’m glad they extended the poppies because so many people wanted to come and see it.”
Holding his grandfather’s World War I service medal sent by the King, Walworth-born William Richards, 87, said: “My grandfather was in the flying corps and my father always said that he was very special. It’s very special for me being here today.”