WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust

We exist solely to keep the Aviation Legacy of World War 1 alive!

Poetry Plane 2025 – The People – Clive Denny

The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget.

Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme over the next 3 months. 

Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance.

Where ever you are in the World, you have a part to play – pass the details of the Poetry Plane on or get involved. To School Teachers particularly, this programme is massively popular with children. You can get guidance, lesson plans, and poem paper at the links below.  If you have a question, contact

 info@ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk. 

The People – Clive Denny 

Clive Denney learned to fly on vintage Tiger Moth aircraft at the Cambridge Flying Group in 1981. He subsequently qualified as a display pilot, flying a wide variety of warbird and other historic aircraft, including WW2 Spitfires and Hurricane fighters, as well as unique examples of World War 1 planes such as the DH9. Clive is a regular on the airshow circuit, including at the renowned Duxford Air Show. He has accumulated over 3,000 hours of flight time. 

 Clive played a major role in the recovery and restoration of the “gate guardian Spitfires”, these being former RAF aircraft which had stood unused for many years at the entrance of RAF bases. These aircraft have now been restored to flying condition. When not flying or restoring historic aircraft, Clive participates in World War 2 commemorations in his Willys Jeep.”

Want to know more? Want to join in?

https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/

Buy Poem Paper?

https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paper

Download Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow?

https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/

Help us fund the project.

https://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf/the-poetry-plane-20

  • The Plan
    • The Poems
    • The Poppy
    • Le Bleuet
    • The Forget-Me-Not
    • Lochnagar
    • Thiepval
    • Le Quesnoy
  • The Planes
    • DH9 – 1918
    • DH9 – 2025
    • Tiger Moth – 1943
    • Tiger Moth – 2025
    • The Clearances
    • The Transit
  • The People
    • Clive Denney
    • Willie Harrison
    • The Twins
    • Celine Plantain
    • Sally Crabtree
    • Dick Forsythe
    • Jean-Philippe Froment
  • Your Part
    • France
    • Britain
    • Germany
    • Australia
    • NZ
    • Canada
    • USA
Recent Posts
  • Poetry Plane 2025 – Your Part – France

    The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget. Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme over the next 3 months. Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance.Where ever you are in the World, you have a part to play – pass the details of the Poetry Plane on or get involved. To School Teachers particularly, this programme is massively popular with children. You can get guidance, lesson plans, and poem paper at the links below.  If you have a question, contact info@ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk. Your Part – FranceThere are several leading lights leading on  getting more schools involved in the Poetry Plane. Please feel free to contact them directly if you want to get involved through them.Celine.plantain@ac-lille.fr. Teacher at Hautmont College who has got 8 schools in France and 3 in Germany contributing to the Poetry Plane 25 already.kiwilequesnoy@gmail.com. Jean-Philippe Froment, President of the Kiwi Association in Le Quesnoy. Jean-Philippe is organising the poem drop at Le Quesnoy and the writing of poems in Cambridge NZ which is twinned with Le Quesnoy.l.manot@somme-tourisme.com. Lea is responsible for Remembrance Tourisme from Albert. She has been helping linking a school in Albert with one in Cornwall to work on WW1 poems and letters.Myriam.barale@sjmc.gov.au. Myriam is a Visits Officer at the Sir John Monash Museum. She is engaging with Australian Schools to write poems and send them to schools in UK and Europe to transcribe onto poem paper as they cannot send them to us on the poem paper because of export controls. We have schools lining up on both sides of the Channel.Want to know more? Want to join in?https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/Buy Poem Paper?https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paperDownload Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow?https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/Help us fund the project.https://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf/the-poetry-plane-20 The Plan The PoemsThe PoppyLe BleuetThe Forget-Me-NotLochnagarThiepvalLe QuesnoyThe PlanesDH9 – 1918DH9 – 2025Tiger Moth – 1943Tiger Moth – 2025The ClearancesThe TransitThe People Clive DenneyWillie HarrisonThe TwinsCeline PlantainSally CrabtreeDick ForsytheJean-Philippe FromentYour PartFranceBritainGermanyAustraliaNZCanadaUSA

  • Poetry Plane 2025 – The People – Clive Denny

    The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget. Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme over the next 3 months. Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance.Where ever you are in the World, you have a part to play – pass the details of the Poetry Plane on or get involved. To School Teachers particularly, this programme is massively popular with children. You can get guidance, lesson plans, and poem paper at the links below.  If you have a question, contact info@ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk. The People – Clive Denny Clive Denney learned to fly on vintage Tiger Moth aircraft at the Cambridge Flying Group in 1981. He subsequently qualified as a display pilot, flying a wide variety of warbird and other historic aircraft, including WW2 Spitfires and Hurricane fighters, as well as unique examples of World War 1 planes such as the DH9. Clive is a regular on the airshow circuit, including at the renowned Duxford Air Show. He has accumulated over 3,000 hours of flight time.  Clive played a major role in the recovery and restoration of the “gate guardian Spitfires”, these being former RAF aircraft which had stood unused for many years at the entrance of RAF bases. These aircraft have now been restored to flying condition. When not flying or restoring historic aircraft, Clive participates in World War 2 commemorations in his Willys Jeep.”Want to know more? Want to join in?https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/Buy Poem Paper?https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paperDownload Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow?https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/Help us fund the project.https://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf/the-poetry-plane-20 The Plan The PoemsThe PoppyLe BleuetThe Forget-Me-NotLochnagarThiepvalLe QuesnoyThe PlanesDH9 – 1918DH9 – 2025Tiger Moth – 1943Tiger Moth – 2025The ClearancesThe TransitThe People Clive DenneyWillie HarrisonThe TwinsCeline PlantainSally CrabtreeDick ForsytheJean-Philippe FromentYour PartFranceBritainGermanyAustraliaNZCanadaUSA

  • Poetry Plane 2025 – The Planes – DH9 1918

    The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget. Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme over the next 3 months.  Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance. Where ever you are in the World, you have a part to play – pass the details of the Poetry Plane on or get involved. To School Teachers particularly, this programme is massively popular with children. You can get guidance, lesson plans, and poem paper at the links below.  If you have a question, contact  info@ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk.  The Plan – The Plane The prototype Airco DH9 was a single-engine biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland during his time at the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco).  It was planned as a successor to the Airco DH4 as a bomber for use during the First World War. The prototype Airco DH9 (A7559) was a modified Airco-built DH4, which first flew in July 1917 at Hendon, North London.  It was powered by a six-cylinder, in-line 230hp BHP Adriatic engine, although throughout its life it was fitted with a multitude of differing engines.  The main external difference from the Airco DH4 was a change in the cockpit arrangement, in order to bring the pilot and observer closer together, rather than being separated by the fuel tank. This  improved communications enormously. To aid the switch in production from the Airco DH4 to the Airco DH9, the design utilised the wings and tail assembly from the Airco DH4, mounted onto a larger fuselage.  As previously mentioned, a number of different engines were tried and fitted to the DH9, including (most commonly) the 230 hp Siddeley Puma and the 230hp Fiat A-12.  The 430hp Napier Lion engine was also fitted experimentally to a number of aircraft…. (With thanks from BAe Systems Heritage) https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/airco-dh9—– Want to know more? Want to join in? https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/ Buy Poem Paper? https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paper Download Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow? https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/ Help us fund the project. https://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf/the-poetry-plane-20The Plan The PoemsThe PoppyLe BleuetThe Forget-Me-NotLochnagarThiepvalLe QuesnoyThe PlanesDH9 – 1918DH9 – 2025Tiger Moth – 1943Tiger Moth – 2025The ClearancesThe TransitThe People Clive DenneyWillie HarrisonThe TwinsCeline PlantainSally CrabtreeDick ForsytheJean-Philippe FromentYour PartFranceBritainGermanyAustraliaNZCanadaUSA

  • Poetry Plane 2025 – The Plan – The Poems

    The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget. Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme over the next 3 months.  Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance. Where ever you are in the World, you have a part to play – pass the details of the Poetry Plane on or get involved. To School Teachers particularly, this programme is massively popular with children. You can get guidance, lesson plans, and poem paper at the links below.  If you have a question, contact  info@ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk.  The Plan – The PoemsThe Poems are written by school children to capture their understanding of the sacrifice of WW1 and their hopes and optimism for the future grounded in this knowledge. The children are captivated by the symbolism of their words being flown to the sites to become flowers where so many fell.The poem papers are coloured for the 3 seeds to be found in each one – red and blue (light and dark). The seeds (all EU approved) are for the Poppy, the Cornflower and Forget-Me-Not (Mysotas) which are the memorial flowers of UK, France and Germany. Want to know more? Want to join in? https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/ Buy Poem Paper? https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paper Download Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow? https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/ Help us fund the project. https://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf/the-poetry-plane-20The Plan The PoemsThe PoppyLe BleuetThe Forget-Me-NotLochnagarThiepvalLe QuesnoyThe PlanesDH9 – 1918DH9 – 2025Tiger Moth – 1943Tiger Moth – 2025The ClearancesThe TransitThe People Clive DenneyWillie HarrisonThe TwinsCeline PlantainSally CrabtreeDick ForsytheJean-Philippe FromentYour PartFranceBritainGermanyAustraliaNZCanadaUSA

  • Poetry Plane 2025 – Your Part

    The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget. Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme over the next 3 months. Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance.Your Part – Where ever you are in the World, you have a part to play – pass the details of the Poetry Plane on or get involved. To School Teachers particularly, this programme is massively popular with children. You can get guidance, lesson plans, and poem paper at the links below.  If you have a question, contact info@ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk. WW1AHT have 22 schools involved in Essex, UK, and the prospect of 20 more in the second half of 2025. Celine Plantain has 8 French Schools and 3 German schools joining in. Sally Crabtree is working on a school exchange from Cornwall and Albert on the Somme. Jean-Philppe Froment is President of the Kiwi Association in Le Quesnoy and is twinned with Cambridge New Zealand where children are writing poems.  Some countries cannot export their poems on seeded paper because of export restrictions – Australia for one. We have a growing number of schools in England and Europe who would like to pair up with Australian schools and will transcribe any poems written by them onto the poem paper.Want to know more? Want to join in?https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/Buy Poem Paper?https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paperDownload Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow?https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/Help us fund the project.https://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf/the-poetry-plane-2025The Plan The PoemsThe PoppyLe BleuetThe Forget-Me-NotLochnagarThiepvalLe QuesnoyThe PlanesDH9 – 1918DH9 – 2025Tiger Moth – 1943Tiger Moth – 2025The ClearancesThe TransitThe People Clive DenneyWillie HarrisonThe TwinsCeline PlantainSally CrabtreeDick ForsytheJean-Philippe FromentYour PartFranceBritainGermanyAustraliaNZCanadaUSA

  • Poetry Plane 2025 – The People

    The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget. Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme over the next 3 months.  Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance. The People – In this section we will be telling you about the people involved in the Project. All of whom can be contacted for help and assistance. We will look at the back stories of: The pilots – Clive Denny and Willie Harrison of the DH9 and the Tiger Moth respectively The Twins – Ant and Ed Abery who deploy our WW1 SE5a simulator on our school visits and support out WW1 aeroplanes on the ground. Celine Plantain who is our leading light in generating interest in the Poetry Plane in France. Sally Crabtree who is the Poetree Poet. Jean-Philppe Froment the President of the Kiwi Association in Le Quesnoy dedicated to the Kiwis who died in WW1 and particularly those who died liberating Le Quesnoy at the end of the War. Dick Forsythe the Chief Trustee of WW1 AHT who is orchestrating the Trust’s part in the Poetry Plane. Want to know more? Want to join in? https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/ Buy Poem Paper? https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paper Download Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow? https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/ Help us fund the Programme https://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf the-poetry-plane-2025 The Plan The PoemsThe PoppyLe BleuetThe Forget-Me-NotLochnagarThiepvalLe QuesnoyThe PlanesDH9 – 1918DH9 – 2025Tiger Moth – 1943Tiger Moth – 2025The ClearancesThe TransitThe PeopleClive DenneyWillie HarrisonThe TwinsCeline PlantainSally CrabtreeDick ForsytheJean-Philippe FromentYour PartFranceBritainGermanyAustraliaNZCanadaUSA 

  • Poetry Plane 2025 – The Planes

    The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget. Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme over the next 3 months.  Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance. The Planes – Under this Section we will be assessing the DH9’s contribution in 1918 and explaining how the current DH9 was recovered from a stable in India. We will explore the wartime adventures of Tiger Moth DE 745 and its history since then.  We will explain the challenges of getting clearance for either aircraft to drop articles at the commemorations in France and look at the proposed transit route and basing for the aircraft to conduct the drops on 1 July 2025. Want to know more? Want to join in? https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/ Buy Poem Paper? https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paper Download Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow? https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/ Help us fund the Programme https://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf the-poetry-plane-2025 The Plan The PoemsThe PoppyLe BleuetThe Forget-Me-NotLochnagarThiepvalLe QuesnoyThe PlanesDH9 – 1918DH9 – 2025Tiger Moth – 1943Tiger Moth – 2025The ClearancesThe TransitThe PeopleClive DenneyWillie HarrisonThe TwinsCeline PlantainSally CrabtreeDick ForsytheJean-Philippe FromentYour PartFranceBritainGermanyAustraliaNZCanadaUSA

  • Poetry Plane 2025 – The Plan

    The Poetry Plane is about Remembrance – Lest We Forget. Children from around the World will be writing poems in recognition of the sacrifice of the Great War, The poem papers will be seeded with  Memorial Flowers – the Poppy, the Cornflower and the Forget-Me-Not. We will be making 3 drops of poems written by children from around the World on 1 July 2025 at the Great War Somme Commemorations at Lochnagar Crater and Thiepval Memorial and at the Kiwi Memorial in Le Quesnoy.  We also hope to drop poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum on 9 November 2025. I will be explaining the Plan, the Planes, the People and your Part in the Programme under the headings on the right of this page over the next 3 months. Help us build a network to pass the word on. We seek to make the Poetry Plane an annual global act of Remembrance.The Plan – fly a DH9 or Tiger Moth (not WW1 but our best compromise between historical accuracy and getting the job done) to Abbeville ready for the drops on 1 July 2025 at Lochnagar 0755, Thiepval 1150, and Le Quesnoy Kiwi Memorial 1630 – all time local.Want to know more? Want to join in?https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/ww1-poetry-registration/Buy Poem Paper?https://roamwildproducts.co.uk/collections/seeded-paper/products/roamwild-seeded-paperDownload Lesson Plan, Video and Slideshow?https://ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk/index.php/poetry-temporary-landing-page/Help us fund the Programmehttps://wwoneaviationheritage.enthuse.com/cf the-poetry-plane-2025 The PlanThe PoemsThe PoppyLe BleuetThe Forget-Me-NotLochnagarThiepvalLe QuesnoyThe PlanesDH9 – 1918DH9 – 2025Tiger Moth – 1943Tiger Moth – 2025The ClearancesThe TransitThe PeopleClive DenneyWillie HarrisonThe TwinsCeline PlantainSally CrabtreeDick ForsytheJean-Philippe FromentYour PartFranceBritainGermanyAustraliaNZCanadaUSA

  • Send Your Poems to the Battlefields in our Plane

    Write your WW1 poems on paper seeded with memorial flowers. Join the 2500 other children that have already done so. See your thoughts grow into flowers on the battlefields where so many soldiers died. WW1 Poetry Registration (ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk)

  • Essex Primary Schools Reaching for the Sky

    The WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust together with YES Young Flyers completed their18-month journey visiting 60+ Primary Schools in Essex with the WW1AHT Simulator in July 2024 – thanks to a grant from the CAA’s Reach For the Sky Initiative.  One hundred and thirty-seven schools applied for the day visit so we hope this will become an enduring feature. We have applied for a further grant from the CAA for 2025 and 70 schools have applied for a visit. The Programme is to encourage and inform Years 5 and 6 about careers in aviation. It is important that they understand the origins of the flying machine and it how it surged into the front pages over a hundred years ago in World War 1. It is equally important that they are made aware of the sacrifice in the Great War as the subject disappears from the syllabus in English schools. SE5a Simulator This is exactly what the Trust is doing by visiting the Schools with their WW1 Flight Simulator.  The Pupils are all motivated by the prospect of a flight in a simulator designed in 1915 based on WW1 SE5a fighter with a VR game that includes all the missions available to a Scout pilot as they were known back in the day. While not in the Sim, they take part in a quiz about the life and times of the simulator’s designer, Major Lanoe Hawker VC DSO RFC, and take part in poetry writing workshop based on the Great War which culminates in each of them writing a poem on seeded paper as a part of another of WW1AHT’s initiatives – The Poetry Plane. This is a collaborative effort with the Poetry Postie, ArtConnexion, Hautmont College, Somme Tourism, Le Quesnoy Kiwi Association and the Sir John Monash Museum. Over 3500 poems were dropped from our Plane over the commemorations for the Battle of the Somme, Wilfred Owen and the Kiwi Division of Le Quesnoy on 1 Jul 2024 where they were collected and planted by those attending as an act of remembrance and reconciliation.  The British, French and German Memorial Flowers (Poppy, Cornflower, and Forget-me-Not) are the seeds in the paper. French and German children also wrote poems as part of a wider initiative to expand the Poetry Plane concept around the world. We have much bigger plans to include Australian, Canadian and US children in writing poems in 2025. The children in any country can join in. WW1AHT provide lesson plans, videos and links to the seeded paper as part of the concept. Watch out for updates on the plans for 2025 coming before Christmas . We plan to return to the Somme and Le Quesnoy on 1 Jul 2025 and hope also to deliver poems at the Remembrance Service at the UK National Memorial Arboretum in November 2025. Sam Dunne, the Headteacher at Colne Engaine Primary School, wrote after our visit: I would just like to say another big thank you for the wonderful opportunity the children had today.  The whole session was so very well organised, and the children have been talking about it all afternoon. They thoroughly enjoyed learning the history in class and then experiencing the simulator. We are full swing with some wonderful poetry too. Opportunities like today are those golden moments, moments that make children aspirational about their futures and know more about the endless opportunities there are out there for the taking. Who knows we may have another aviation enthusiast joining you or seeking out a new interest!  Thank you for bringing your knowledge and enthusiasm to our little school and of course being part of such a brilliant STEM opportunity. The poetry-writing was not restricted to Great Britain and N Ireland but children from France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand were invited to participate. We hope to expand it further in 2025. A small team of 8 WW1 AHT & YES volunteers are giving freely of their time.  Each visit involves 3 members of the Team for 6 hours on site – 1500 hours of volunteering.  The Programme would not be possible without the Twins, Ant and Ed, who drive the Simulator to each location and ensure its safe operation during each visit. If you want to know more, please contact dick.forsythe@ww1aviationheritagetrust.co.uk

About WW1AHT

WW1 Aviation Heritage Trust Ltd

We intend to provide an enduring flying collection of World War I Allied and German aircraft based in the UK flying from heritage sites like Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome.

Company No 8753767

Registered Charity No 1156699

Contact:

+44 870 9191914
info@ww1aht.co.uk
rockingnacelle@ww1aht.co.uk

Photography

With thanks to Darren Harbar, Huw Hopkins, Leigh Smith and Russell Savory for their magnificent photographs

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Art Connexion
Yes Flyers | UK Youth Aviation Education
Sally Crabtree – Poetry Postie, Pushing the Envelope of Poetry

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