Poppies flourish at Tower of London for WWII anniversary

Britain's iconic Tower of London will be covered in a cascading installation of 30,000 red ceramic poppies to mark 80 years since the end of World War II.

The tribute, called "The Tower Remembers" will be unveiled to the public on Thursday, May 8, which is celebrated as Victory in Europe Day. The moat of the 900-year-old Tower of London, which looms over the north bank of the Thames, was first flooded with the poppies in 2014 to mark the centenary of the start of World War I.

In that installation, visited by the late Queen Elizabeth II, nearly 900,000 poppies were used, one for each life lost in Britain and its colonies. The poppies bleeding out the side of the historic structure also represent the damage to the Tower during the Blitz, the German bombing campaign in Britain.

The ceramic symbols will be put carefully into place over 10 days by rotating groups of volunteers. The installation will be open to the public from May 8 until Armistice Day on November 11.