Network Rail destroys WW1 memorial

[Johnuk123]

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Net...ts-World-War/story-22836823-detail/story.html

A poppy garden grown to commemorate the First World War centenary has been decimated by a Network Rail worker.
The bed of poppies and wild flowers was planted at Shepreth railway station 18 months ago in order to be in full bloom for the war's anniversary this month.
But last week, rail users were shocked to find the carefully-cultivated memorial garden completely strimmed away.

Network Rail should have investigated what the area was being used for instead of simply employing somebody and not telling them it was a memorial garden.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

A mistake was made, NR have apologised and offered to help put right the damage. Is this really news?

 

[Yew]

So a man paid to cut down plants, cut down some plants? The title makes it sound like he stole the copper from a war memorial and melted it down to replace some lineside cabling..

 

[PaxVobiscum]

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Net...ts-World-War/story-22836823-detail/story.html
A poppy garden grown to commemorate the First World War centenary has been decimated by a Network Rail worker.

The Cambridge News should be grateful that there is still 90% of the garden remaining. :roll:

 

[Deerfold]

The Cambridge News should be grateful that there is still 90% of the garden remaining. :roll:

Although I'm fully aware of where the phrase comes from, that's not common usage:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/decimate

1. Kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of


Historically, the meaning of the word decimate is ‘kill one in every ten of (a group of people)’. This sense has been more or less totally superseded by the later, more general sense ‘kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of’, as in the virus has decimated the population. Some traditionalists argue that this is incorrect, but it is clear that it is now part of standard English.

 

[w0033944]

Is this a case of an NR employee using a strimmer who (quite understandably) may not know much about gardening/plants etc? Let's be honest here - a chap who is paid to operate a strimmer may not be a candidate for Mastermind, nor might he be a member of the Gardener's Question Time panel. He's likely to be a conscientious, hard-working chap who, as has been previously stated, is paid to trim vegetation.

It seems to me that the bigger question here is whether this is NR land? If so, then NR should know what it is and whoever was operating the strimmer should have been told to leave that area untouched. If not, why would an NR employee be trimming random areas of vegetation away from NR property?

 

[JaJaWa]

It seems to me that the bigger question here is whether this is NR land? If so, then NR should know what it is and whoever was operating the strimmer should have been told to leave that area untouched. If not, why would an NR employee be trimming random areas of vegetation away from NR property?

In most franchises, NR own the stations and they are simply leased to the TOCs. I presume the TOC didn't have to tell Network Rail that they had installed a garden so NR would be unaware.

 

[The Planner]

Was he colourblind so couldnt be a driver and struggled with red poppies?

 

[455driver]

So a bit of the memorial garden has been strimmed by accident (hardly destroyed or decimated :roll and NR have offered to try and put it right.
Whats the problem exactly?

I am sure the chap wont do it again!

 

[Flamingo]

Was he colourblind so couldnt be a driver and struggled with red poppies?

Another candidate for post of the year...

 

[WestCountry]

So a bit of the memorial garden has been strimmed by accident (hardly destroyed or decimated :roll

Have you actually looked at the pictures? The entire thing would appear to have been cut right down to the ground - if that doesn't count as 'destroyed' wrt gardens, I'm not sure what does. :roll:

Not really news, but possibly above average - today's paper featured the astounding news that a Bella Italia cafe got planning permission for another 27 tables. Other recent items include a 6ft-high fence and bike lanes being painted the wrong shade of red. :P

 

[Parham Wood]

It was a sad accident and as has been pointed out NR will try to make amends. I do think this is as much news as any article on train delays etc.. It just depends on your interest. It is also important to the people who spent time creating the garden.

Judging from my own wild flower garden most of the poppies etc. have gone over early this year. The picture of the garden before cutting shows lovely poppies but I wonder how old it is. They could have gone over like my garden and look more like a bed of seed heads. The post cutting picture does not seem to have any flower head remains visible either. Difficult to be certain from two undated photos but it could be the poor person who strimmed it just saw a bed of flowers gone to seed. Just conjecture of course!

 

[Abpj17]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-28965999 includes a before and after pic; I suspect said employee thought it was just weeds/overgrown. It's clear from the picture it wasn't just poppies.

 

[Flamingo]

They'll grow again next year.

 

[Johnnie2Sheds]

Is this what passes for news nowadays? People need to get a grip, seriously.

 

[starrymarkb]

I remember when my old home town planted a set of 'millenium' trees in a roadside hedge with the aim of creating an avenue on the approach to the town. There was a grand ceremony with all the local dignitaries.

Unfortunately they forgot to tell the County Council's highways department and six months later the trees ended up being put through a tractor mounted hedge mower during the annual trimming.

 

[trentside]

Looking at the before picture, they don't look like "carefully cultivated" flowers, but a selection of wild flowers that have self seeded against a platform. Can't exactly blame the Network Rail employee for clearing them - especially as they apparently didn't place signs up indicating that it was a memorial garden. Not exactly story of the week, especially as NR are replacing the garden.

 

[w0033944]

In most franchises, NR own the stations and they are simply leased to the TOCs. I presume the TOC didn't have to tell Network Rail that they had installed a garden so NR would be unaware.

Thanks - in that case, the chap with the strimmer wasn't to know.

 

[455driver]

Have you actually looked at the pictures?

Yes I have and maybe if the volunteers had taken a bit more care of the area after 'planting' the poppy seeds in amongst the existing weeds it might have been a bit more obvious that it was a memorial and not just a bit of wasteland which happened to have some poppies growing among the well established weeds!

edit-
It looks to me to have been a half arsed attempt to 'do their bit' but then once the seeds were planted nobody could be bothered to look after it, NR doing this has spurred them on because they can smell that they are going to get something (far better than their feeble attempt) for nothing.

 

[Greenback]

It looks like mostly weeds to me. It's not much of a story in my view, it's only because of the WWI centenary that it's had any coverage at all.

 

[Baggypants]

It looks like it was an urban Medow, they're fashionable these days. like Global Hypercolour T-Shirts were, or Zac Effron.

 

[deltic08]

I think the strimmer user should be congratulated for doing such a good job looking at the "after" photo.

 

[ushawk]

It looked rather overgrown anyway, if anything Network Rail are going to be paying to make it look better when its replanted.

 

[Philip C]

I think the strimmer user should be congratulated for doing such a good job looking at the "after" photo.

In Flanders' Fields don't the poppies flourish amidst crops and other wild flowers? Certainly my good lady's attempts to grow poppies as free-standing plants always creates a display that is very prone to destruction by the wind.

 

[dk1]

Simple mistake. Move on.