A SMALL brass soldier holding a poppy has been put on Petersfield war memorial as part of poignant and evocative memorial to the men who died during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Petersfield resident Jean Simpson, of College Street, said: “It’s beautifully made, a very special way of commemorating those who died in such a terrible battle.”
On the first day of the battle, July 1, 1916, British casualties alone were 57,470, and by the time it drew to a close five months – 141 days – later on November 1, more than 420,000 British soldiers had been killed, wounded or were missing.
Sculptor Nic Joly, of Alresford, working with the Royal British Legion, came up with the idea of placing 141 of the 50mm high soldiers on war memorials around the country. They are also in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Although not hidden, they aren’t meant to be easy to find, and Nic says he hopes that people will visit memorials and find them.
Each one represents a day of the battle, recognised as the most costly ever in terms of casualties. Mrs Simpson added: “The one at Petersfield had blown off the memorial in the bad weather last Friday, so my husband repaired him. While we were there a couple with children came up and said they were looking for the one on Petersfield memorial.” For details visit Nic’s website www.nicjoly.co.uk