A MEMORIAL figurine commemorating the Battle of the Somme has gone missing from a park in Worcester.
The handcrafted, 50mm tall bronze figure holding a poppy, was one of 141 placed on memorials across the country and abroad to mark the centenary of the 1916 First World War battle, which lasted 141 and is known as one of the bloodiest in human history.
The installation, by sculptor Nic Joly, aims to raise awareness, make people stop, remember and think about what happened 100 years ago, ensuring the lives are ‘Never Forgotten’.
The different locations have been kept secret to encourage more people to go out looking for the figures themselves.
Worcestershire received a figurine and it was placed on a well-known memorial last Friday afternoon (July 15), however by Saturday evening the figure was missing.
A card was attached to the sculpture explaining the details of the project and the Royal British Legion is hoping the sculpture will be returned for others to find and appreciate.
Nick Martin, Community Fund-raiser for the Royal British Legion, said: “It’s such a shame that the figure is no longer in place at the memorial, we wanted everyone to be able to find and see it and be moved by what it stood for as a monument to our brave fallen, who gave their all for us.”
For more information and updates on the project: www.neverforgotten.nicjoly.co.uk
