A local housebuilder has unveiled a metal statue of a British soldier in Chelmsford, which is designed to help commemorate Remembrance Sunday.
Chelmsford Garden Community Council has installed the ‘Tommy’ figure – so-called after the nickname for a soldier in the British Army – outside the sales office at Bellway’s Beaulieu Grange, off Remembrance Way in the Beaulieu area of the city.
Bellway Essex held an event on Saturday 2 November to mark the installation, with the council’s chairman Cllr Derek Drew-Smith attending, along with councillors Cynthia Driver, Brian Jeapes and Joel Alderman.
The council is erecting four statues, two male solders and two female soldiers, at different locations in the parish. The black metal figures will remain in place throughout the month of November.
At the unveiling, Council Chairman Derek Drew-Smith said:
Today, we gather in gratitude to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. This Tommy figure stands, not only as a symbol of remembrance, but as a poignant reminder of courage, resilience, and the freedom we cherish. Let it serve as a quiet guardian, throughout November, urging us to remember the individuals behind each sacrifice; some of whom have now been immortalised in the road names around us.
Together, we will ensure that their sacrifice is never forgotten.
On behalf of the Chelmsford Garden Community Council, today represented by Cllrs Joel Alderman, Brian Jeapes and myself, may I express our heartfelt thanks to Bellway Essex for their gracious support in allowing the placement of this tribute on their grounds.
Suzanne Walker, Executive Officer at Chelmsford Garden Community Council, says: “As a fairly new parish council, having been formed in April 2023 to cover the areas of Beaulieu, Channels and the new Garden Community development, we were keen to mark Remembrance Sunday in the locality. We came up with the idea to buy four of these figures from the Royal British Legion and to erect them at various points throughout the area.
“The statues will remain in situ for November to allow people to mark not only Remembrance Sunday but also to enable them to take time out throughout the month to reflect on the sacrifice made by so many in the past. Some of the roads in the new developments in Beaulieu are named after local people who lost their lives in the First World War so we thought this would be a fitting tribute too.
“We are very grateful to Bellway for allowing us to install one of the figures at its Beaulieu Grange development and hope to make this an annual partnership.”
Emma Hawkins, Sales Manager at Bellway Essex, said: “When the council approached us to ask if they could put one of the soldier statues at our Beaulieu Grange development, we will more than happy to agree to their request.
“It is an honour and privilege to have our development chosen as one of the four sites across Beaulieu for these striking figures which really do make you stop and think. It is an opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those who have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life.”
The other figures may be seen at Boleyn Gardens, in front of the Beaulieu Community Centre and adjacent to the Memorial Bench near Taylor View.
Many thanks to Bellway Homes for providing the photos for this article