The eagle eyed among you will have noticed a new “resident” in Bellingdon.

Located opposite St John’s Church, the “Silent Silhouette” of a WWI Tommy serves as a timely reminder of the sacrifice of those who have served their country, and many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice to give us the life we have today.

 

 

The memorial in St John’s Church (pictured below) shows four names of servicemen who sadly did not return from the Great War: Frank Brown; Cecil Stanley Eldridge, Ralph James and George Ewen Sills.

The silhouette has been funded and organised by the Bellingdon & Asheridge Community Association and St John’s Church, Bellingdon. Any community groups who would like to make a contribution towards the cost are invited to contact us.

Some background on the “Silent Silhouette”, from The Royal British Legion:

To mark the final year of the World War One centenary, The Royal British Legion is inviting the public to take part in a movement to say ‘Thank You’ to the First World War generation who served, sacrificed, rebuilt and changed the nation. In support of the Thank You movement we are offering for donation a variety of silhouettes to symbolise the communities that took part in WW1, they shaped the nation as we know it today.

The silhouettes are near life-size and can be fixed to a wall or attached to an upright post in public or private spaces. In addition to the iconic image of a ‘Tommy’ (our original Silent Soldier) there are equally significant representatives of the members of the communities the nation says thank you to, including those who gave medical support, soldiers from across the commonwealth, RAF/RFC, Navy, munition factory workers and suffragettes who lead the fight for votes for women. They all helped makes us the nation we are today.