Tommy tributes
STATUES INSTALLED AT WAR MEMORIALS
MEMORIAL statues depicting soldiers from World War One have been installed in Ruislip and Harefield .
The statues are life-size, 6ft tall silhouettes of a British “Tommy”, or soldier, who fought during World War One.
The outlines of soldiers are positioned in pairs at the Ruislip War Memorial and at the Harefield War Memorial, where there are plaques dedicated to two Victoria Cross recipients who were born in what was then a small village.
Two soldiers will also stand permanently in Harmondsworth as a reminder of the 417 men who went to Europe to fight from the village.
Sadly, 94 of those men never returned.
The statues are part of the national commemoration of the First World War which saw thousands of ceramic poppies flooding the moat around the Tower of London, which captured the imagination of the public in 2014.
The poppies marked 100 years since the start of that war, while 2018 is 100 years since the war ended. The soldiers are depicted in classic gear and are inspired by a photograph taken by Horace Nicholls during the war.
The soldier is holding what appears to be a Lee-Enfield Mk III rifle, which was used by many soldiers in the war.
The idea for the display was borne from a 2016 installation in Penshurst Church, where plastic soldier silhouettes occupied the pews.
You can even purchase a full sixfoot Tommy or a smaller commemorative one, with the funds going to help ex servicemen and military charities.
Name boxes, silhouettes and Tommies are all made by the Royal British Legion Industries, who hire ex-servicemen and women.
In addition, the money raised is going towards six charities including Help for Heroes, Combat Stress and Walking With The Wounded.
A full aluminium Tommy costs £750, while the small commemorative version costs £30 and the silhouettes for benches and chairs cost £42.
The There But Not There charity is hoping for as many statues as possible to go on display around the country, as the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One approaches in November.
A Hillingdon Council spokesman said: “We are delighted to be part of the national Tommies project. The statues are a fitting way to commemorate the many hundreds of local heroes who bravely fought and sacrificed their lives during World War One, ensuring their contribution is suitably marked in this centenary year and remembered for generations to come.”