A POIGNANT exhibition by the Royal British Legion opens tomorrow at Bradford's National Media Museum to mark this year's Poppy Appeal.

The campaign meticulously recreates portraits of First World War soldiers with modern servicemen, women, and veterans.

The Legion said it hoped the images would remind audiences that the Poppy Appeal supports both armed forces representatives of the past, and those serving now.

To create the work, portraits of modern veterans and serving personnel were photographed by Tom Reeves in the world’s oldest running photography studio in Lewes, East Sussex.

The images were captured using the exact same camera, technique, and hand-painted background as Tom’s grandfather, Benjamin Reeves, used to photograph First World War soldiers in 1915.

He took pictures of the case studies standing in the same spot and pose as soldiers 100 years ago, and it was the first time the camera had been used in more than 65 years.

The portraits will be exhibited at the museum until Sunday, November 29, forming the centrepiece of a national campaign that also includes online films and interviews.

The men and women who sat for the modern portraits include Gunner Mark Stonelake, a former Army Commando who had his left leg amputated in December 2008 in Afghanistan, when the vehicle he was driving hit a roadside bomb, and Staff Sergeant Alan Hughes, who lost his sight in a peacekeeping mission in Northern Ireland and has been supported by the Legion ever since.

Gary Ryan, director of marketing and communications at the RBL, said: "We hope the Poppy Appeal 2015 campaign will encourage the British public to uncover the stories behind the poppy.

"The poppy is a powerful symbol of Remembrance and hope, which is perfectly articulated in our campaign featuring service personnel from the First World War and our modern day beneficiaries."

The Bradford district will fall silent during a number of its own Remembrance events on Sunday, and again on Armistice Day on Wednesday.

The Dean of Bradford, the Very Reverend Jerry Lepine, will join representatives of the RBL and members of the public for Acts of Remembrance at the Bradford Cenotaph at 11am on both days.

"We remember, to honour the sacrifices that men and women have made in serving this nation over the years," he said.

"But we also remember because history needs to inform our present, and that is why we pray for our national leaders at this time as well.

"Over the years, numbers attending cenotaph services across the country have increased, showing how deeply we feel about this moment in our national life.

"Please come and join us at the cenotaph in Bradford at 11am on Sunday, it is a really important time as we commemorate the centenary of First World War events."

Each year, in addition to the Remembrance Services taking place around the district, the Lord Mayor's office shows the depth of gratitude felt by the city by decorating the main display case in City Hall with poppies and a poppy wreath.

The case at the top of the Civic Staircase is emptied, cleaned, decorated with poppies, and filled with significant pieces connected to Remembrance in the city.

The pieces on display this year include a ceramic poppy bought for the city by the Lord Mayor’s Office, from the poppy installation at the Tower of London marking 100 years since the start of the First World War.

The poppy was one of 888,246 ceramic red poppies, each intended to represent one British or Colonial serviceman killed during the conflict, which formed the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red art installation at the Tower of London last year.

Another piece is a silver rose bowl presented to the Lord Mayor and the citizens of Bradford on behalf of the Belgian Consul as a token of their gratitude for the hospitality extended to them during the First World War, when more than 1,000 Belgian refugees were accommodated across the district.

There is also a silver wine flagon presented to the city in 1976 by the West Riding Regiment RA, the 272 WRA Field Support Squadron RE, to mark the extension of Royal Artillery Freedom of the City to include the Royal Engineer Squadron and their successors.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Joanne Dodds, who will be attending Remembrance Services in Bradford and Ilkley on Sunday, said: "It is incredibly important that we reflect and remember the sacrifices made by people from across our district in conflicts, both in the past and more recently.

"It is a great honour for me to represent the city at the ceremonies I am attending.

"I welcome anyone who would like to come to these, or any of the other services across the district."