· The ‘Bring Tommy Home for Christmas’ Campaign to commemorate 18,355 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died after the end of the first World War between Armistice and New Year’s Eve 1918 brought to Edinburgh
· New figures from Commonwealth War Graves Commission show 70 soldiers from Edinburgh never made it home for Christmas after the Armistice
· Follows campaign launch at Heart of Midlothian F.C. in February and Tommy projection on Edinburgh Castle in November this year
· John Lewis & Partners supports charity There But Not There to commemorate local soldiers
· There But Not There has raised more than £4.5m to commemorate the fallen and support today’s veterans
Residents across Edinburgh have been urged to back a new campaign which aims to commemorate the 18,355 British and Commonwealth soldiers who never made it back to their families for Christmas in 1918.
New figures released by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission show 70 soldiers from the city died between the Armistice on 11th November and December 31st 1918, leaving families and friends heartbroken.
Following a successful pilot in the London flagship store, people from across the county are now able to purchase one of the There But Not There iconic ‘Tommy’ statues from John Lewis & Partners’ store on Leith Street. Each statue remembers a specific individual from this often-forgotten cohort that lost their lives after the end of the war, finally sending them home for Christmas. The details of the individual remembered will be shared with the person buying the Tommy.
While the guns finally fell silent at 11am on the 11th November, thousands of soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice in the weeks and months after the war ended. Many succumbed to the injuries inflicted on the battlefield, while many more died due to illness and mental scars brought on by four years of horrific fighting.
The campaign, a partnership between charity initiative There But Not There and John Lewis & Partners, aims to take the names of soldiers that never made it home off the rolls of honour and back into our homes.
All profits made from the sale of these Tommies, which are built by veterans, will go to a group of military charities including Walking with the Wounded, and Help for Heroes.
Rowley Gregg MC, Director of There But Not There said: “While it is right that we remember the millions of soldiers that gave their lives on the field of battle during the First World War, it is easy to forget that the Armistice did not bring an end to the heartache of thousands of families.
“We are committed to ensuring that all the 18,355 personnel that did not make it home for Christmas in 1918 are properly remembered at a time where families up and down the country will be coming together to spend time with their loved ones.”
Dr Glyn Prysor, Chief Historian at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission said: “For many people around the world, the aftermath of the First World War proved just as traumatic as the long years of conflict. Every name on one of our war graves or memorials represents a family and a community that was changed forever.
“It’s particularly poignant to reflect on those who died after the Armistice of wounds or disease, or in continuing conflicts, and for whom that eagerly-awaited peacetime Christmas never came.”
To purchase a 10 inch Tommy online, please visit https://shop.therebutnotthere.org.uk
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