Campaign to provide new soldier statue at a Hartlepool war memorial reaches £20,000

The Boer War memorial plinth in Ward Jackson Park and (right) the design for the replacement statue.

Hartlepool businessman and history enthusiast Stephen Close is spearheading the project to finance a replacement figure of a Boer War soldier at the memorial in Ward Jackson Park.

Its original bronze statue, which was originally paid for by the people of the town, was stolen in 1968.

For over 50 years now the memorial’s granite plinth recording the names of the 23 Hartlepool soldiers who perished in the Boer War in South Africa from 1899-1902 has stood alone.

Stephen Close with the latest framed Healthful Hartlepool poster from the early 1900s being auctioned off for the replacement Boer War statue project.

The replacement costing £25,000 is being made by North East artist Ray Lonsdale, who is best-known for the statue of a World War One soldier Tommy at Seaham Harbour.

Project treasurer Stephen has recently obtained another framed vintage Healthful Hartlepool poster to auction off to boost the fund.

He said: “We are just under £20,000 now and should be touching £21,000 by the time the auction ends on September 18.

"Reaching £20,000 is a big psychological boost for the fund, anything from there on is a bonus and we still have over six months to go before it goes into production and only £5,000 to raise.”

The poster is the sixth to be auctioned with the other five having raised a total of £4,110 between them.

The sale of the latest one is likely to push that past £5,000.

Stephen added: “It’s in excellent condition. Hopefully, we will get a good price for it.

“We will accept bids from September 12 and the last bid is 11pm on September 18. The last one sold for £860 and we hope to top that and make a handsome profit for the fund.”

The poster auction takes place on the History of Hartlepool in Images Facebook group.

Potential buyers can also make bids via email to: [email protected]

Any donations to the project fund can also be made at The Replacement Boer War Statue page on gofundme.com

The page states: “This is a local project that will create a beautiful replacement statue that will be of benefit to visitors to the Victorian Ward Jackson Park, and will ensure the memorial stands tall as it once did.”

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