Duchess's Community High School in Alnwick unveils Remembrance memorial

The 'soldier' is a permanent art piece in The Duchess’s Community High School’s memorial garden and is dedicated to those that fell in conflict and those that have served or continue to serve.

It was fabricated by local manufacturers Chris Bryceland and Andy Boyd, and is designed to disappear as students approach it and reappear as they pass by, representing how those who have fallen always return as memories.

The statue was kept a secret from students and was unveiled on Armistice Day as a surprise, especially to the hundreds of students with family in the forces.

Year 11 student William Lindsay said: “The new soldier statue that is located outside the school reception is a wonderful new addition to the school grounds, which I really like. It allows the students to reflect on what happened in the past as the soldier fades out of view and then back in again to ensure that the memory is not forgotten.

"As a student with a father in the armed forces, what the school has done means a lot to me and I hope that it can continue to make people remember the fallen for years to come.”

Co-headteacher, James Wilson, said: “This area in particular has had a real strong affinity with the forces so, for us, it's really important the act of remembrance is permanent.

"I think what's important is it's not just a nod to the past and those that have fallen, it's also an act of gratitude.

"We're really proud to work with RAF Boulmer, we have strong connections there with the base commander and with others, and we have over 200 students that attend our school from the camp. It becomes intertwined somewhat between the two organisations and we want something to signify our thanks to those that continue to serve today so it's a permanent structure.

"In all the schools I’ve worked in, I've never been to one with a remembrance service so well attended. So many of our students are involved in the air cadets, the sea cadets, the army cadets, and I think it's synonymous with the town.”

Statue fabricator Chris Bryceland of CB Iron, said: “When the school contacted us to create a something for remembrance, they were unsure what they wanted and offered us blank canvass to create a remembrance sculpture.”

Chris took inspiration from the RBLI Tommy silhouette and the Angel of the North in creating the sculpture with close friend, Andy Boyd. They were given creative freedom to come up with something to commemorate those in the Armed Forces.

"Being ex-forces myself, I’ve done tours of both Iraq and Afghanistan, so remembrance means an awful lot to me in many different ways and being given the change to create this remembrance sculpture was a real honour.” Chris added.

The funding was sourced through part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Education Support Fund (ESF) for schools with service children. It was based around providing bespoke career opportunities by working with a local business and broadening students' horizons, as well as outreach work with families and the services community, building links and raising the profile of services within the community.