Powerful tribute to wartime resilience installed in South Shields
'Forgotten Army' statue to be unveiled in park. Tony Henderson reports
A statue which will commemorate war hero Len Gibson and the “Forgotten Army” in which he served will be unveiled in its permanent position in a Tyneside park.
In the 80th year of VJ Day – Victory over Japan – the artwork by sculptor Ray Lonsdale will be installed in North Marine Park in South Shields.
The statue of Len, from Sunderland, who was a prisoner of the Japanese on the Burma-Siam “death railway”, has been financed by Brian Burnie, founder of the Newcastle-based Daft as a Brush cancer care charity.
The unveiling event at 10:30am on Thursday, December 18 will feature Highland pipers, Vice Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, General Robin Brims, Brian Burnie, South Tyneside Council leader Tracey Dixon, and Ray Lonsdale.
Ray, who works from South Hetton in County Durham, also created the First World War Tommy statue which is sited at Seaham.
He said “The importance of the South Shields statue is that it’s for the Forgotten Army, it’s for the people who were captured, tortured and worked to death in many cases.
“You see all the First World War statues, you see all the different aspects that are commemorated.”
But he added that the new statue would “bring to the fore” the story of the army which fought in the Far East and that of the PoWs such as Len, who was a committed supporter of Daft as a Brush.
The statue depicts Len, who made a guitar from waste wood during his captivity to keep up the spirits of his fellow prisoners, handing the instrument to a Burmese boy.
Mr Burnie said: “Handing over the instrument is a symbol of peace and forgiveness, as Len was released from captivity to come home.
“2025 is the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan and marks the official end of the Second World War. This wonderful statue by Ray Lonsdale will be such a lasting tribute to all those who never came home and to those veterans who suffered so much.
“The memorial statue stands as a permanent reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women who served in the British Army during the Burma Campaign known as the ‘Forgotten Army’ due to the lack of public recognition they received.
“The memorial aims to ensure their legacy is honoured for generations to come.”
Len died in 2021, aged 101, just days before the launch of the book he wrote on his three and a half years in captivity, titled Len Gibson: A Wearside Lad in World War II.