Hartlepool photographer presents Tommy creator with 'different' picture of iconic statue

Hartlepool man Lee Bullivant, 39, travelled to Tommy’s Seaham home to present Ray Lonsdale with the picture.

Lee, who got into photography in February 2021 to help with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after leaving the armed forces in 2005, bathed Tommy in red, explaining: "With me being ex-forces, I was looking at the remembrance side of it, like the veterans and serving soldiers, and doing something slightly different.

“Tommy’s original title was 11.01 when they called the Armistice in World War One.

"So for me, to actually light him up red and have that sombre look, which he normally has anyway, showed him in a different environment.”

Lee, who recently exhibited work in London, and Ray were accompanied at the presentation by 13 bikers from the First Battalion Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire Riders’ Association.

You can read more online at: Maritime exhibition comes to Hartlepool ahead of the Tall Ships Races