Two identical remembrance installations have been created by Standing with Giants, a voluntary community project set up by founder, Dan Barton.
With the help of a small group of volunteers based in Oxfordshire they create large scale displays to honour our fallen. Their previous displays have been seen in many prestigious sites such as Blenheim Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Lord Rothschild Waddesdon Manor and The Falkland Islands, whilst they’ve fundraised for worthy charities.
Their two latest tributes represent 255 silhouetted life-size figures of Seafarers, Royal Marines, Army, and Airmen and 3 civilians who lost their lives during the 1982 war on The Falkland Islands with Argentina. This and the other display created, which is currently in the Falkland Islands, have been created to commemorate the 40th anniversary of liberation on June 14th, 2022.
The installation will be on display at the IBCC from Wednesday 5th October 2022 until January 2023.
IBCC’s CEO, Nicky van der Drift says: “The IBCC’s focus has always been on honouring those who served and remembrance of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It is a huge honour for us to be able to pay tribute to the fallen of the Falkland’s War with this powerful and emotive installation. To have it here over the Remembrance week will bring additional poignancy for visitors.”
Standing with Giants have been overwhelmed by the amazing reactions from Veterans and families of the fallen who have visited their installations and shared their heartfelt stories with them. Kim Casey is the only sibling of the first casualty of the war, POACMN Kevin ‘Ben’ Casey RN. Kevin was lost at sea 23/04/1982 when the Sea King helicopter he was crewman of, crashed into the South Atlantic en route to the FI’s. Kim has cuddled the silhouette of ‘Kevin’, something she has not been able to do for 40 years.
Dan, and two of the team, his son Luke, and Lucy, Air Cadet, travelled to the Falkland Islands in May 2022 to help install the tribute. South Atlantic Trading amazingly arranged the transportation and covered the shipping costs of the installation to travel the 8000 miles, arriving in time to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands.
