Ray's new statue pays tribute to POW Len and The Forgotten Army

To mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, a new statue will be unveiled celebrating The Forgotten Army.

- by Katy Wheeler

Created by celebrated sculptor Ray Lonsdale, the evocative piece depicts Sunderland POW Len Gibson, who was imprisoned on the notorious Burma ‘Death’ Railway by the Japanese and endured years of unimaginable treatment.

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 he inspired thousands of young people, including his neighbour, Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics.

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’.

Sadly, Len passed away on July 31, 2021 at 101 years old.

Now, the inspirational great-grandfather will be immortalised in a statue which will be unveiled on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which marked the end of the Second World War following Japan's surrender.

The unveiling takes place from 11am on Friday, August 15, at South Shields Town Hall, after which there are plans to install the sculpture in Marine Park from December.