'Tommy' World War One, Lest We Forget, 1916

A World War 1 "Tommy" on guard during the winter 1916-17. This handmade statue commemorates the centenary since the beginning of World War 1, Lest We Forget.

£228.00 £190.00

‘In Flanders Fields’

By: Maj John McCrae

on the 3rd May 1915

 Major John McCrae, acting as a surgeon for the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, had endured 17 days treating injured men in the Battle of Ypres. Despite his extensive experience, the severity of the situation was impossible to withstand. It was the death of a young friend and former student, Lieut. Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, on 2 May that affected him the most, especially as McCrae performed the funeral ceremony in the absence of the chaplain.

The following day, McCrae, who had written many poems and medical texts, composed a verse sitting on the back of an ambulance parked beside the Canal de l'Yser in view of Helmers grave and ditches of wild poppies. Twenty minutes later, McCrae had penned a 15 line poem, but unhappy with its composition, discarded it. It was a fellow officer that retrieved the poem and sent it to London where it was published by Punch on 8 December 1915.

 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

 

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

 

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

 

We are commemorating the 100th Anniversary of World War One with a collection of our finest military sculptures. It depicts a Commonwealth Soldier on guard during the Winter of 1916-17 (note the helmet).

This is the Victoria Cross Bronze finish which is a tradional finish, similar to the colour of all the commonwealth war memorials you see in most British Towns and Villages.

In an effort to be more sustainable we've had our outer packaging redesigned to be fully recyclable. Every statue comes in a simple elegant printed brown box with printed fabric tape.

Inside the box the statue will be protected with bubble wrap and special foam bags to minimise the chance of damage in transit. 

Recyclable cardboard packaging

Plaque Engraving Info

All our statues include the option of a personalised engraved plaque on the wooden base, at no extra charge.

  • Bronze statues come with a jeweller’s brass plate

  • Pewter/silver statues come with a nickel silver plate


How to Add a Plaque

  1. Start by selecting your desired finish and base option.

  2. Then click "Add a Plate" - this will open a drop-down menu.

  3. Enter your engraving using the line format provided.

  • Presentation bases allow up to 4 lines

  • Mahogany bases allow up to 6 lines

  • Max 35 characters per line


Important Notes

  • If engraving is left blank, no plaque will be included.
    Want a blank plate? Just write that in the engraving box.

  • Once ordered, please check your confirmation email to make sure your plaque text has gone through.
    If it’s missing, it means it didn’t go through - you can either wait for us to get in touch or just email us your engraving directly at sales@balwalk.com.

  • Double-check your engraving before sending - any mistakes will mean we need to make a new plate.

  • Text will be centre-aligned and sized to fit the plaque.


Badges

We offer 3D cap badges that can be added to the sculpture base or onto the plaque itself.

If we don’t have a 3D version of the badge you want, we can engrave it directly onto the plaque instead.

More Information
Product CodeA1w1
Price CodeFD
Sculpting Scale12"
Base Material of the StatueCold Cast Resin
Height Including Presentation Base14" / 36cm
Width with Presentation Base6" / 15cm
Depth with Presentation Base6" / 15cm
Weight1.3kg

Please be aware that these measurements are not exact and have been rounded for ease.
As every item is individually handmade the exact dimensions may vary slighty.