THE STORY BEHIND THE PRODUCTION

This moving sculpture was commissioned by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and funded by Realise charity, as an artwork for the Brampton park. The commission came as part of a memorial to 100 years since the start of WW1. The piece stands as a tribute to local WW1 legend, Vera Brittain who was born only a street away from the park. 

 

Artworks apprentice Callum Marchese, 16, from Mow Cop, worked alongside Artist, Andy Edwards and Phil Brown to create the statue, which is made from a mixture of recycled and new metal. 200 pieces of sheet steel were intricately formed into lifelike features and drapery. These were then treated to resemble bronze.

WHO WAS VERA BRITTAIN?

Born 1890-1970, Vera worked during the First World War as a nurse but documented her experiences in a memoir called 'Testament of Youth' these described her harrowing experiences during and after the First World War, which saw the loss of her brother, fiancé and some of her closest friends.

She highlighted the emotional struggles and hardships faced by so many people during the First World War. Vera's War memoir ' Testament of Youth' was produced into a film in 2014. 


‘I sat in a tree-shadowed walk called the Brampton and meditated on the War. It was one of those shimmering autumn days when every leaf and flower seemed to scintillate with light, and I found it very hard to believe that not far away men were being slain ruthlessly. It is impossible, I concluded, to find any satisfaction in the thought of the destruction of men whether they be English, French, German or anything else, seems a crime to the whole march of civilisation.’

A quote from Vera Brittain’s Testament of Youth

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