Poppy Appeal Launched in London With 'The Watch'

The 2014 Poppy appeal has been launched in London with a special vigil called 'The Watch.' It takes place at the Cenotaph in Central London and features singer Joss Stone alongside former Royal Marine Commando Pete Dunning, who lost both legs when he was struck by a bomb in Afghanistan.

The watch was inspired by images of the repatriation of the Unknown Soldier in 1920, when guards kept a vigil at the coffin as a mark of respect.

Speaking at the start of her shift at the Cenotaph Joss said: "There isn't one war that is more horrific than another. These men are incredibly brave and a lot of them have laid down their lives so that we can live in a peaceful environment.

"It's important for younger people to realise this because we haven't seen it (war).

I'm a couple years off of 30 and I've never seen war. Hopefully, my children will never see war in our homes. The important thing - is it to remember or is it to be educated by it?"

The singer was one of several supporters to take turns on shift in the sunrise-to-sunset event. It comes in the centenary year of the First World War.

The soul star has teamed up with guitarist Jeff Beck to record this year's official charity single, No Man's Land (Green Fields of France).

Stone, who was clutching a photo of her great-great-grandfather Private Alfred Ernest Stenning during her solemn stint at the memorial, said: "After singing the song No Man's Land, everything that I thought got bigger and bigger.

"The lyrics in it, the song speaks of 'do you have a wife, or a sweetheart?' That really got me. It brings it closer to home."

It is estimated that around 45 million poppies will be distributed by the Royal British Legion (RBL) and its supporters as part of this year's campaign.