Ghostly Slimbridge lifesize Figures mark 100 years since the end of WW1

The village of Slimbridge, south of Gloucester, is best known as being a home for migrating birds who flock to the area on the banks of the River Severn and is a “Mecca” for Birdwatchers or “Twitchers” ! This weekend (11th November 2019), to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, local Sculptor, Jackie Lantelli, has struck a moving, powerful and extremely poignant chord with her beautiful but harrowing installation of ghostly sculptures in the Churchyard at Slimbridge. The life-size figures of 11 soldiers, made from chicken wire, stand at the foot of the graves of the fallen. “It’s not just a name on a grave any more. You’ve got an actual physical thing, and it makes you think this was actually a person,” Jackie said. A wonderful and moving experience for all that visited including the guys from the recycling truck, all of whom respectfully photographed and admired the display in a minute “stolen” from their hard days work. One of them said to me: “We won’t be seeing the like of this again for another 100 years but now I must go back to my bins…..” …..another touching moment when you realise "The Great War" may have happened 100 years ago but the words “Lest We Forget” still hang true NOTE - I should add that the Hymn "Abide with Me" was written by the Vicar of Brixham - a fishing town just four miles away from where I was born and bred in Devonshire, England ! RobLittleUK