Green light for plans for statue to honour The Forgotten Army

Plans to erect a new sculpture in a historic South Shields park celebrating 'The Forgotten Army' and a local war hero have been given the green light by council development bosses.

- by Chris Binding

South Tyneside Council's planning department approved an application for the installation of a new statue by celebrated local sculptor Ray Lonsdale.

The evocative Corten steel sculpture depicts Sunderland prisoner of war Len Gibson, who was imprisoned on the notorious Burma 'Death' Railway by the Japanese.

As a prisoner of war, he was forced to work on the infamous Mergui Road and when interned, he built his own musical instrument and entertained fellow prisoners around a fire each night.

When he returned to Sunderland, Len inspired thousands of young people, including his neighbour, Dave Stewart, of the Eurythmics.

As a longtime supporter of cancer charity Daft as a Brush, Len adopted one of the charity's ambulances, with the children at his former school where he was a music teacher creating the artwork for the ambulance and naming it 'Len Guitar Gibson'.

After passing away on July 31, 2021, at 101-years-old, the inspirational great-grandfather is set to be immortalised in a statue, with the artwork recently unveiled on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which marked the end of the Second World War following Japan's surrender.

The unveiling ceremony took place at South Shields Town Hall in August and there were hopes the sculpture could be installed permanently in North Marine Park by the end of the year.

Charity Daft as a Brush later submitted a formal application to South Tyneside Council's planning department seeking permission to install the 2.7m high statue at the Grade II-listed North Marine Park.