Two soldiers standing in silhouette have been added to Boston’s Memorial Gardens, as a poignant reminder of the sacrifice made for our freedom.
The artwork created in metal, shows a single soldier with his head bowed. Painted all in black, the two silhouettes stand in symmetry along the Memorial Gardens path, which is lined by regimental plaques.
The hand-crafted statues, which were funded by donations from local residents, were created by a friend of Philip Collins, whose father Frederick served during the Second World War as part of 45 Commando Royal Marines. Frederick also served with Boston-born D-Day veteran, Les Budding.
Les Budding said: “The plaques in the memorial garden started in 2007 and were completed last year with a plaque to Ukraine which was placed next to the one we have for Poland, which was very fitting.
“All this has been down to the generosity of Boston people and their donations which have gone into purchasing the silhouettes for the Memorial Gardens. Thank you to you all.”
The silhouettes were installed by Gary Huggins of Holbeach Memorial Company, who has kindly brought his services to the Memorial Gardens for many years to install the memorial plaques.
Boston Borough Council also arranged for local business, Hydroshine Cleaning Services, to clean the war memorial and paving slabs, ensuring that the area looked clean and tidy, ready for the installation of the soldiers.
Cllr Anne Dorrian, Leader of Boston Borough Council, was pleased to meet with the Boston branch of the Royal British Legion and the Memorial Garden Committee to see the silhouettes in place.
Cllr Dorrian: “The silhouettes are a very fitting tribute to all the Boston war heroes who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today. The statues have been beautifully crafted and I am grateful for all the efforts of the Boston Branch of the Royal British Legion, the Memorial Gardens Committee and Holbeach Memorial Company, in arranging this touching tribute to those who gave their lives in the defence of our country.
“I would also like to thank Hydroshine, who look after all our planters in the town, for cleaning the war memorial for us. The whole area is looking absolutely lovely at the moment.
“Please do come and see the silhouettes for yourselves. It’s right that we pay our respects to the fallen but we can also enjoy this beautiful and peaceful part of the town centre.”
James Reid, owner of Hydroshine Cleaning Services said “It was a honour and pleasure to asked by Boston Borough Council to clean a very important part of Boston. The intricacy and delicacy of this historic monument was carefully resorted throughout our cleaning process recently.”
