NMP Unveiling of The Tommy Statue

Tommy is a statue of a First World War soldier by artist Ray Lonsdale.

Many servicemen succumbed to injuries sustained earlier on the battlefield, and from illness, in the weeks leading up to Christmas 1918. Relatives of the soldiers claim the sacrifices these soldiers made have often not been remembered fully because they did not die in battle.

To commemorate these soldiers, the There But Not There campaign is making versions of its “Tommy” statues available.

The figures are miniature versions of life-size silhouettes that were put up across London last month as part of commemorations for the centenary of the end of the First World War.

Rowley Gregg, director of There But Not There, said:

We are committed to ensuring all the 18,355 personnel who did not make it home for Christmas in 1918 are properly remembered.