Royal Armouries Fort Nelson hosts D-Day tribute of 1,475 life-size silhouettes

EXCLUSIVE

A stunning memorial of 1,475 life-size silhouettes of hero soldiers who lost their lives on D-Day are to be returned 'home' to the location from where many set sail from British shores for the final time 81 years ago. The Standing with Giants tribute to fallen WW2 troops will take pride of place at the Royal Armouries Fort Nelson site, overlooking Portsmouth harbour. The world's oldest museum stepped in to host the "For Your Tomorrow" tribute at short notice, following a nation-wide appeal after plans fell through at another site, to ensure it will be on display for Remembrance Day, 80 years after the Second World War ended.

The installation has been on display at the British Normandy Memorial in France but its return to Portsmouth will be a symbolic homecoming for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The tribute, which opens free to the public on October 22 and also features 50 French resistance silhouettes, has been seen by over 200,000 visitors in Normandy this year, but this will be the first time the D-Day tribute has been on display in the south of England.

Standing with Giants was founded by Oxfordshire community artist Dan Barton using upcycled recycled building materials and is based on an ethos to 'value life; to understand and appreciate why we have our freedom, and to remember and pay tribute to those who have fallen so we can live with the freedom we have today'.

To ensure the display remains free to access for generations of families a public fundraising campaign has been launched.

Nat Edwards, Director General of Royal Armouries, said: "For many servicemen, the monument at Fort Nelson was the very last thing they could see on British soil as they set out, 81 years ago, to liberate Europe.

"I can't think of a more fitting place to remember the 1,475 who never returned and the enormous debt that the free world owes them. We are honoured to host this very fitting and beautiful display to their sacrifice.

"To enable us to put on this installation for free, we are asking for donations towards the cost of hosting the installation, so please do give what you can, and come and visit and pay your respects to those we lost during the conflict whilst serving their country."

Dan Barton, founder and chair of trustees of Standing with Giants, said: "We have been overwhelmed by the amazing reactions from veterans and families of the fallen who have visited our installations.

"We are so thankful to Fort Nelson for stepping in to host the People's Tribute, so it can be on display on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and Portsmouth is such a fitting place for it to be on display.

"We invite people to visit, grieve, remember, and reflect. Our installations resonate deeply and often evoke powerful emotions. It's a way of remembering and paying tribute to those who have fallen, so we can live the lives we have today."

Fort Nelson previously hosted a Standing with Giants art installation which paid tribute to those lives lost in the Falklands. A D-Day exhibition is also currently open on the site.

Due to limited site capacity, visitors are encouraged to pre-book their visit at www.royalarmouries.org to guarantee entry. Tickets will go online in October and donations are welcome and appreciated to support the museum at www.royalarmouries.org/fort-nelson. The tribute will be open to visitors from 22 October and run until 30 November.