Guests show their support for a memorial appeal in honour of a West Yorkshire regiment
More than £18,000 was raised during a dinner in support of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Memorial Appeal. A host of guests were welcomed to The Arches in Dean Clough Mills for the event to help raise money to complete a commemorative memorial in Halifax this spring.
The memorial will honour the members of the regiment, who gave their lives, acknowledge those who served in all battalions as well as recognise the families and their home county. To complete the memorial, a further £20,000 needs to be raised to reach the target of £240,000.
The private function, which welcomed over 240 guests, included Lady Jane Wellesley, sister of The Duke of Wellington, and Lord and Lady Mackintosh of Halifax.
The memorial, designed and created by renowned figurative sculptor, Andrew Sinclair, will be unveiled on Friday, May 17th by The Duke of Wellington, Charles Wellesley, and will sit in the heart of Halifax, West Yorkshire, the home of the regiment for over 200 years.
‘To be selected as the sculptor for this incredibly prestigious memorial is a wonderful honour,’ said Mr Sinclair. ‘Having a great fascination for military history, I am very much looking forward to delving into the longstanding past of the regiment and creating a sculpture which commemorates its admirable spirit and the qualities of the Yorkshire soldier within the design.’
The memorial will reflect the 300-year history of the regiment. The three main figures are soldiers from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, placed as if on steps carved into a rock edifice: the first two are communicating with each other, while the contemporary soldier stands guard at the top. They are connected by a golden thread which represents the formation of the Regiment to its final amalgamation.
The ‘rock edifice’ serves as a bas-relief which symbolically reflects all that is important to the regiment: the service of the 76th Foot in India (the Honorary Colours), the sacrifices made during WW1 represented by an officer leaping out of the trenches, the support provided by the families of those who served, the importance to the Regiment of the game of rugby, the link with the Duke of Wellington, and finally the regimental emblems and motto.
The memorial will stand on a plinth of Yorkshire stone and will be 15ft high. The central part will be cast in phosphor bronze that allows intricate detail and patination to be incorporated.
Brigadier Andrew Meek CBE said: ‘It was tremendous to see so many people at our event in Halifax, showing their support for the regiment. Our goal is to raise £240,000 for the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment Memorial Appeal in order to unveil Andrew Sinclair’s sculpture, which will sit in the heart of Halifax, home of the regiment for two centuries.
‘The memorial will honour the members of the regiment who gave their lives to our country, acknowledge those who served in all battalions and recognise the families and their home county.’
To complete the memorial, a further £20,000 needs to be raised to reach the target of £240,000. To donate, visit memorial.dwr.org.uk/#donate
