Artist’s figures laid out in poignant display
A SEA of shrouded figures created by a Somerset artist has been unveiled as a stunning focal point for Britain’s commemoration of the centenary of the end of the First World War.
Rivalling both the scale and impact of the poppies at the Tower of London four years ago, the 72,396 Shrouds of the Somme will draw thousands of visitors for its 10-day display at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
The figures will be sold afterwards, with profits going to Armed Forces charity SSAFA and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Artist Rob Heard, from Watchet, wrapped each 12in plastic figure in a calico shroud to symbolise every British soldier whose body was never recovered after the 1916 Battle of the Somme in France.
And yesterday, he saw them laid out across the equivalent of a football pitch in the shadow of Stratford’s London Stadium.
For five years, Rob, 53, worked 18 hours a day without pay to make every shroud by hand, taking his family to the brink of bankruptcy to finish what he said was a calling that took over his life.
Without the support of his wife, Karina, and their daughters, Lily, 17, Rose, 15, and Daisy, 14, Rob said he could not have completed his mission.
He said: “They have been so supportive and understanding of the things I have not been able to do with them, let alone the financial hardship.”