Tributes are being paid to British soldiers remembered on the church war memorial at Leeds Minster as part of ‘There But Not There’ – the touring UK commemorative art installation launched for the final WW1 Centenary year.
The display of life size silhouettes opened on July 1, the anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Soldiers of the Leeds Pals battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment were virtually wiped out within ten minutes of leaving the cover of their trenches.
Over the coming months until November, the transparent There But Not There figures will represent all 76 men named on the Leeds Minster memorial. The fallen will also be rememberd in prayers at noon every weekday.
The Leeds Pals were all volunteers, and like Britain’s other ‘Pals’ units, they’d signed up during the wave of patriotic enthusiasm associated with the build up of the army during first weeks of the Great War.
Nine of the soldiers commemorated on the Minster memorial fell on the opening morning of the Somme. They included Lieutenant Morris Bickersteth, son of the Vicar of Leeds (Photo © Leeds Minster)
The installation and associated displays are intended to provide “opportunities to reflect on the experience of those who served, the wider impact on this church community and the lessons of the conflict for the lives we live today.”
Among Leeds Minster’s WW1 monuments, the church memorial is felt to be ‘especially poignant’ because it records the names of men who were baptised or married there, or who joined in the regular worship life of the congregation. At least five names are those of former boy choristers.
‘There But Not There’ is at Leeds Minister until November 17 – open daily from 10am. Admission is free.
See also in Centenary News: WW1 Tommies in final year Centenary campaign, and There But Not There website.
Source: Leeds Minster
Images © There But Not There/Leeds Minister
Posted by: CN Editorial Team