My pride at celebrating 999 heroes with a statue
SCULPTOR Philip Jackson said creating Britain’s first 999 cenotaph was perhaps the most important work in his stellar career.
The stunning bronze edifice will pay homage to more than 7,000 emergency workers who have been killed in the line of duty in the past 250 years, including those who have perished from coronavirus.
His £3.2million National Emergency Services Memorial will be opened by the Queen in 2023 and will honour all who have served – past, present and future.
Internationally acclaimed Mr Jackson, 76, said: “My thoughts were this should be a monument that recognised, celebrated and commemorated extraordinary people doing a difficult and dangerous job, which at certain times required them to put their lives on the line for the sake of others.
Bravery
“Some 7,000 of these extraordinary people have given their lives over the years in that line of duty.
“This monument remembers them and celebrates all the emergency services’ dedication, professionalism and bravery, increases the public’s awareness of the emergency services and creates a focus and venue for remembrance.”
Mr Jackson’s stunning sculptures appear in numerous British cities and immortalise titans who changed the world.
The Bomber Command Memorial, in London’s Green Park, which depicts a crew of seven Second World War airmen, was unveiled by the Queen in June 2012 after a fundraising appeal led by the Daily Express.
And we are now the proud official newspaper partner of the new emergency services memorial.
Mr Jackson’s other works include a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square and the Gurkha Memorial in Whitehall.
The five-sided 999 monument will be 20ft tall and located at a site in central London.
It will feature six figures and a dog, representing each of the emergency services.
The monument was redesigned by Mr Jackson so the NHS could be represented given the crucial role healthcare workers have played in the coronavirus crisis.The NHS figure is wearing scrubs.
It will now display a police officer, a firefighter, a paramedic to represent the ambulance services, a doctor to represent the NHS, a male maritime worker to represent HM Coastguard, a male search and rescue volunteer, plus a search and rescue dog. Mr Jackson, from his home at Midhurst in West Sussex, said: “The idea was that each service had one side of the monument to record the service’s history and provide an elevation to hold memorial services in front of and for people to lay wreaths against.
“With the onset of the pandemic and the extraordinary efforts and achievements of NHS staff, memorial founder Tom Scholes-Fogg and I agreed I should add an extra figure from the NHS.
“We all hope we will never have to call any of the emergency services but we sleep sounder knowing they are just a phone call away.
“This is perhaps one of my most important pieces of work because the emergency services will have resonance with everyone.”
The National Emergency Services Memorial has the backing of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose life was saved in intensive care by NHS nurses after a neardeath brush with coronavirus.
It has also received the blessing of Arlene Foster, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, and Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales.
The 999 cenotaph is also supported by all living former prime ministers and the Duke of Cambridge, who served as an Air Ambulance pilot.