Historic commemorative WW1 art project figures go on sale

THE first shrouded figures in an astonishing grand-scale art installation in memory of those who fell on the first day of the Battle of the Somme have gone on sale.

Artist Rob Heard is creating 19,240 hand-stitched figurines to represent each man who died on that day, one hundred years ago, at the beginning of the notorious World War I battle.

For each one completed he crosses a name off a list of those who died and says their name out loud to remember them. On 1st July 2016, at 0730 hours, exactly 100 years since the whistle was blown to ‘go over the top’, 19,240 Shrouds of the Somme will be revealed laid out in Exeter’s Northernhay Gardens.

Figure number one was auctioned on Saturday night at a charity fundraising dinner at the Exeter Chiefs Rugby ground in Exeter and raised £1,000 alone. It was bought by Chief Executive and Chairman of Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club Tony Rowe OBE.

The evening included the band of the Royal Marines and a record number of prestigious auction prizes including an evening with folk star Steve Knightley and celebrated chef Michael Caines at a private dinner for 10 at Mr Caines’ new restaurant Lympstone Manor. That evening was bought for an astonishing £3,700 charitable donation.

People all over the UK are being asked to get involved in the project through helping to create a photographic and detailed legacy of all the 19,240 who lost their lives.

Each individual is not only represented by a hand-stitched shrouded figure but also has a digital record in ‘The Fallen’ on the Shrouds of the Somme website.

“We believe that in this age of digital technology we have a chance like never before of building up a photographic and detailed record of each of the servicemen who gave their lives on that tragic day,” says artist Rob Heard who came up with the project.

“We want schools, communities, families and individuals to get involved in this unique legacy - let us know if you have photos, stories or memories of one of the 19,240, a relative or members of your community and send them in to us.

“We can use these to remember them as individuals rather than just names in many thousands of names and help future generations understand the real human cost of war.”

Schools are also being encouraged to engage their students in WW1 research around local people who lost their lives that day and the impact the war had on their communities. Their work will form a part of an exhibition to coincide with the 19240 Shrouds of the Somme and a schools open day on 5 July.

The 19,240 shrouded figures can be pre-ordered framed or unframed, named or anonymous from £29 from www.thesomme19240.co.uk