Campaign to provide new soldier statue at a Hartlepool war memorial reaches £20,000
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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.
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Hide AdFor 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.
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.
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Hide Ad"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.
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Hide Ad“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
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Hide AdThe 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.”