Title | WW1 Memorial soldiers and sailors at the Strood |
Abstract | To commemorate the centenary of the end of WW1, Duncan Pittock and his team erected 51 steel soldiers and sailors at the Strood. It was a memorial that captured the imagination of many people.
The soldiers and sailors appear to be marching across the marsh towards the mainland and represent the men who lost their lives in the conflict. 9 on the east side of the road represent the 6 soldiers from East Mersea and 3 from West Mersea who would have walked down the eastern side of the village; 6 at the Peldon end those who had strong Mersea connections but did not live on the Island at the time; the remaining 36 represent those from West Mersea. They were ordered according to their dates of death.
Sunrise over East Mersea 25 August 2019
Photograph by Chrissie Westgate
Sunset over Ray Island 19 October 2019
Photograph by Chrissie Westgate
The soldiers were at the Strood for a year and the majority were taken down November 2019. An auction was held in the MICA 25 January 2020 and there was lively interest in the soldiers. Most have found homes on the island and are easy to find. There are two soldiers in the entrance to Mersea Museum, one outside West Mersea Parish Church, and one in front of MICA ...
In 2020 two new Memorial Soldiers were erected at the Strood. On the east side, the soldier is a memorial to Derek Balls from East Mersea who was killed 23 April 1951 in the Korean War [ WWK_DAB ]. On the west side is a memorial soldier in memory of Ralph Cutts-Avis - the original memorial is outside Mersea Museum.
These will form the first and last in a trail of memorials being developed, covering WW1, WW2 and the Korean War.
We have a good collection of photographs of Duncan and the team taken 9th November 2018 when the statues were put in place. Work started at 8.30pm, with the real deadline of high tide at midday.
Thank you to Anne-Marie Jacobs for the photographs - she did not take a selfie on the day, so she is one member of the team missing, along with Faith Pittock who did a lot of the design work.
You can see the photographs under Related Images below.
Read More
Interview with Duncan Pittock October 2019
The Strood Soldiers by Becca Brown, from Mistral magazine 2021
Plaque from the Strood with a list of names
We are grateful to the Courier and to Mersea Life for some of the background to the project.
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Source | Mersea Museum
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ID | STR_SOL
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Related Images: |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_419 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_420 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_421 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_422 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_423 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_424 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_425 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_426 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_427 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. Duncan Pittock. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_428 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_429 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_434 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_435 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_436 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_438 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_439 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_440 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_441 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_442 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_444 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_445 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_446 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_447 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_448 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_449 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_450 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. Duncan Pittock. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_451 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. The team who made it happen. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_452 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. The team who made it happen. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_453 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. The list of names. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_454 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. The list of names. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_455 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_456 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_459 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. Duncan Pittock. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_460 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_461 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_468 | Title: | WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | AMJ_SOL_469 | Title: | East Mersea men atop the old sea wall looking to the mainland.
WW1 Memorial at the Strood. 51 Mersea Island soldiers and sailors. | Date: | 9 November 2018 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Anne-Marie Jacobs |
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ImageID: | DIS2020_SOL_005 | Title: | World War 1 Memorial Soldiers and Sailors at Mersea Museum. 51 soldiers and sailors were displayed along the Strood for a year from 11th November 2018, organised by Duncan Pittock. They were then auctioned/raffled in aid of the founding charities, who had financed the project.
The left hand sailor is in memory of Ralph Cutts Avis - Yeoman of Signals on HMS CRESSY Royal Navy. Ralph died after his ship was torpedoed by Uboat 22 on 22nd September 1914. He was 35.
This soldier was successfully bid for at the MICA on 25th January 2020 and was made possible by public subscription, donations by Museum members and monies from Museum's reserves.
The right hand soldier is in memory of Bertie Woods - Acting Bombardier in The Royal Garrison Artillery.
Bertie was killed in action in France on 11th August 1917 aged 26.
This soldier was donated by Carol Dixon as a tribute to Brian Jay whose vision had been to provide a tangible symbol of those Mersea men who sacrificed their lives in the service of their country during WW1.
Read More
Ralph Cutts Avis
Bertie Woods
| Date: | 7 March 2020 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Tony Millatt |
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ImageID: | DIS2020_SOL_009 | Title: | The plaque from the Strood describing the 51 memorial soldiers and sailors that were there for a year from 11 November 1918.
NOT JUST A NAME
Mersea Island's Fallen of the First World War
From 1914 onwards 320 men from Mersea signed up to the Army, Royal Navy, Merchant Marine
Reserve and Royal Naval Reserve from a population of approximately 1,908.
There is a total of 51 names appearing on East and West Mersea war memorials with the last name
being recognised and added in 2000. Six of the names had strong Mersea connections, but were
not living on Mersea and it is thought two of the names never set foot on Mersea as their families
moved to Mersea near the end of the war, these are represented by the figures on the Peldon side of the Strood. Six from East Mersea were killed including two brothers less than 3 weeks apart. Ten
West Mersea men were lost at sea, six of which were on the same day with the sinking of RFA
Industry in the Irish sea 18 Oct 1918 by a torpedo A total of forty two men were killed in the
trenches by gun fire or shell fire with thirteen having no known grave and their remains lay where they fell to this day.
About the silhouettes
Mersea Island silhouettes represent the 51 who gave their lives in World War One at the time
referred to as the 'Great War' who's names appear on the East and West Mersea war memorials
These figures will be taken down after a year and auctioned off at a function to be announced with
all monies raised going back to the Mersea Trusts and Chanties mentioned below *
Funded and supported by
Mersea Island Royal British Legion *
Mersea Education Trust *
Mersea Lions Club *
Rotary Club of Mersea Island *
Strood Trust *
Dabchicks Sailing Club *
Maydays Estate Services
Richard & Denette Matthews
Duncan & Faith Pittock
Pegasus Profiles
Instant Image Signs & Graphics
East Mersea Parish Council
West Mersea Town Council
Colchester Borough Council Cllrs
Ralph Cutts-Avis | Navy | 22 Sep 1914 | 35 | The Square, West Mersea |
Thomas Funnell | Navy | 22 Sep 1914 | 33 | Coast Guard |
Frederick Mussett | Navy | 7 Oct 1915 | 34 | Rainbow Road, West Mersea, |
Hugh Smith | Army | 15 Feb 1916 | 27 | Mill Road, West Mersea |
Frederick Bennett | Army | 3 May 1916 | 20 | Kingsland Road, West Mersea |
Rowland Cook | Army | 3 Jul 1916 | | The Square, West Mersea |
Bertie Cundy | Army | 5 Jul 1916 | 26 | The Lane, West Mersea |
Arthur Wade | Army | 9 Jul 1916 | 21 | Birch |
George Hewes | Army | 20 Jul 1916 | 20 | Walmer Cottage, St Peters Road, West Mersea |
Harry Cottrell | Army | 27 Jul 1916 | | The Maples, East Road, West Mersea |
Stanley Mason | Army | 2 Sep 1916 | 22 | Kingsland Road, West Mersea |
James Cutt-Avis | Army | 25 Sep 1916 | | Church Field, West Mersea |
Harold Mole | Army | 12 Jan 1917 | | South Hackney, Middlesex |
Harris Hoy | Army | 17 Feb 1917 | 22 | Haycock's Farm, West Mersea |
Alfred Pullen | Army | 24 Feb 1917 | 27 | May Cottage, Captains Lane, West Mersea |
Harry Gardner | Army | 14 Mar 1917 | 22 | Queensville, West Mersea |
Nathan Cudmore | Army | 21 Mar 1917 | 30 | Home Farm Cottage, East Mersea |
George Cudmore | Army | 9 Apr 1917 | 34 | Walnut Tree Cottage, East Mersea |
Ernest Green | Army | 20 Apr 1917 | 39 | 19 Mersea Road, Colchester |
Frederick White | Army | 23 Apr 1917 | 38 | Mill Road, West Mersea |
John Howard | Army | 28 Apr 1917 | | Church Road, West Mersea |
Sidney Wright | Army | 28 Apr 1917 | 27 | High Street North, West Mersea |
Clifford Farthing | Army | 3 May 1917 | 20 | Mersea Avenue, West Mersea |
Thomas Marriage | Army | 5 May 1917 | 20 | Weir Farm, East Mersea |
Arthur Whiting | Army | 23 Jun 1917 | 21 | 41 New Park Street, Colchester |
Bertie Woods | Army | 11 Aug 1917 | 26 | East Road, East Mersea |
Albert Cudmore | Navy | 11 Oct 1917 | 20 | Fairlight Villa, Kingsland Road, West Mersea |
Frederick Cutts-Avis | Navy | 27 Oct 1917 | 20 | Clarence Villa, Captains Road, West Mersea |
Edward Green | Army | 24 Dec 1917 | 24 | Moss Cottage, Queens Corner, West Mersea |
Edmund Roberts | Army | 21 Mar 1918 | 24 | Rosebank, Coast Road, West Mersea |
Joseph Stacey | Army | 21 Mar 1918 | 28 | 49 High Street, West Mersea |
Christopher Brand | Army | 27 May 1918 | 31 | Waterside Cottage, Paglesham |
Alfred Thursby | Army | 19 Jul 1918 | 20 | Orleans Cottage, West Mersea |
Arthur Pullen | Army | 23 Aug 1918 | 24 | High Street, West Mersea |
Thomas Powell | Army | 14 Sep 1918 | 32 | Golf House, East Mersea |
Edward Parkin | Army | 5 Oct 1918 | 21 | 5 Council Houses, Barfield Road, West Mersea |
Bertie Lee | Army | 16 Oct 1918 | 26 | Near Fox Inn, West Mersea |
Archibald Green | Navy | 18 Oct 1918 | 24 | Rainbow Road, West Mersea |
Alfred Mole | Navy | 18 Oct 1918 | 30 | Laburnum Cottage, Seaview Avenue, West Mersea |
Frederick Mole | Navy | 18 Oct 1918 | 36 | Fir Dene, City Road, West Mersea |
Reginald Mole | Navy | 18 Oct 1918 | 28 | Clandon, Mersea Avenue. West Mersea |
Henry Pullen | Navy | 18 Oct 1918 | 41 | May Cottage, Captains Road, West Mersea |
Harold Stoker | Navy | 18 Oct 1918 | 20 | Firs Avenue, West Mersea |
Albert Jordan | Navy | 22 Oct 1918 | 18 | Coast Guard Station, West Mersea |
Ernest Hart | Offi | 26 Oct 1918 | 29 | Near Barrow Hill, West Mersea |
Walter Beynon | Navy | 2 Nov 1918 | 38 | Coast Guard Cottages, West Mersea |
Percy Whiting | Army | 24 Nov 1918 | 24 | Near Well House, West Mersea |
Percy French | Navy | 14 Dec 1918 | 27 | Elm Dene, City Road. West Mersea |
Alfred Russell | Army | 23 Dec 1918 | 30 | Old Rectory, East Mersea |
Albert Hewes | Navy | 31 Dec 1918 | 28 | Smithfield Cottage, Firs Chase, West Mersea |
Ezra Mussett | Army | 12 Feb 1919 | 29 | London |
| Date: | 7 March 2020 | Source: | Mersea Museum / Tony Millatt |
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ImageID: | IA01_927 | Title: | "Poignant war tribute Tommy statues set to be auctioned for charity"
Interview with Duncan Pittock, the mastermind behind the STROOD SOLDIERS.
* How did the Strood Soldiers project originate?
The project came about due to my general interest in WW1 and to me owning and rebuilding a rare WW1 lorry that had been unearthed in Peldon. I then became involved in some centenary events both in England and Belgium, and during 2014, saw a popular WW1 photo that triggered a thought (photo below). I was aware at that stage that very little was happening on a 'visual' level here on Mersea, and that our salt marshes were the perfect back drop for something similar. (The photo resembles very much how the East Mersea soldiers are currently positioned.)
I then requested permission from three separate landowners for their consent to use the marshland for the duration of the year, along with the requisite permission needed from Colchester Borough Planning and The Highways Agency.
Each solder then had to be meticulously created on Design software as each profile is specific to the detail of every individual soldier; Faith Pittock, my daughter, spent hours on this process but it really adds to the whole feeling of the soldiers.
In order to make sure the positioning was right - a critical part of the installation - I used local volunteers to help position marker pegs in the marsh in advance; it was absolutely crucial to me to optimise the visual impact the soldiers would have.
Both the Colchester-side and East Mersea Soldiers were relatively straight forwards to position as there were less of them, but the West Mersea soldiers were more problematic due to their numbers. You were unable to stand back to see them all in one go, so their positioning had to be thought out rather more specifically, but hopefully we got it right.
It was really important to me to bring each individual soldiers names to life and that we were remembering actual local people, so the address board was always a major part of the installation; people can see where the soldiers lived on the island and this was made possible by Roger Bullen's Book and Tony Millatt's research.
* How were funds raised?
I approached various funds and charities initially, some of whom could see my vision straight away, others whom needed a bit more persuasion and there were obviously those who declined to be involved. With a small amount of money from various council bodies affiliated to WW1 events and some good local private donations, I was able to start the project without having to fully fund it myself. We then secured funding from 5 or 6 local Mersea Charities, and it was decided at this point that it would only be right to divide any money raised from the sale the following year 'proportionally' to their original investment.
* Was it always planned as a 1year installation/memorial?
Yes, very much so. This was what was agreed with the land owners, Highways and Planning and hence the figures were made robust enough to stand up to the harsh environment and to develop the amazing patina they have taken on.
* Why can't the soldiers stay where they are?
They simply wouldn't survive. If they are removed in the coming months and cleaned down, they will be able to be sold and still retain their unique provenance, giving years of additional pleasure to private owners. The idea was to provoke us into 'Remembering' the sheer numbers who were lost from this Island and how many didn't come back. I think we have achieved this and hopefully we will still get to see glimpses of the some of the soldiers around the Island in years to come.
* What is the plan for them post-11th November 2019 and which Charities are being supported?
We have a Charity Dinner & Auction at Mersea Outdoors on 29th November where the first 26 soldiers will be auctioned off; 10 soldiers will be Auctioned through Reeman Dansie in a sale on the ¾th December, there are raffle tickets available to purchase for 5 soldiers, and the final 10 are available by sealed bids. All this information will be appearing in various publications in the coming weeks and on the Facebook page 'Strood Soldiers.
The main charities are The Royal British Legion, Mersea Island Tales Educational Trust, which funds education, environment and arts projects on the Island, Mersea Island Rotary Club, Mersea Lions Club, The Strood Charity and the Dabchicks Sailing Club.
* How long will they last for once removed from the mud?
It is hoped that if sited in a sheltered position, they should last many years. If you wanted to increase their life and save the patina, the steel could be dried by storing indoors for as long as possible as it will sweat out over a couple of months and they could then be sealed with a high quality varnish e.g. Craftmaster Varnish.
* Is there a plan for a longer lasting memorial?
Not by me currently, but that is not to say somebody else can't do something. However, our thoughts will now be turning to the approaching 75th Anniversary of VE Day and the price our (my) grand-parents generation paid for a Free Europe. However, if people want to donate to a future, longer-term memorial, there will no doubt be a Facebook page happy to organise this.
* What if I want to bid for a specific soldier and cannot attend the auction?
All the soldiers are numbered 1 - 51 and will be catalogued before the auction events take place, so it would be best to get in contact with the Facebook page to ask for more information.
From Facebook Strood Soldiers pages, but the photograph is a Colchester Gazette photograph.
Facebook page is www.facebook.com/Strood-Soldiers-109766420438651
For the list of names see DIS2020_SOL_009 and PH01_233 | Date: | October 2019 | Source: | Mersea Museum |
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