Winchester remembers
Take a moment of reflection this Armistice Day at Winchester Cathedral as Box 459 returns to the outer close to mark the 100 year anniversary of the end of the First World War.
The sculpture, poignantly designed to represent the fallen soldiers from the district, was first unveiled in 2014 to mark the beginning of the war and has been displayed in various locations in the district to end where it began, at Winchester Cathedral.
Cllr Stephen Godfrey who holds responsibility for the council’s Military Covenant, said:
“We would like to thank all the partners that have hosted Box 459 on its tour of the district as it has meant that our local communities and visitors have been able to reflect upon the impacts of all wars and the effect it has had on our district. We are delighted to see Box 459 return to the Cathedral – where it started its tour of the district four years ago. Winchester is a military covenant city and the box is a fitting tribute to honour our soldiers of Winchester district including its 43 parishes.
“Officers at the council are working on suitable options for a permanent home for the Box 459 once it leaves the Cathedral on the 14 December and we hope to reveal its location in the coming months as a long-lasting reminder of another chapter of Winchester’s military history.”
The steel light installation, which was inspired by the 1921 inscription on Winchester Cathedral’s War memorial, won a Surface Design Award in 2015. The dimensions, 1100mm x 1100mm x 1100mm, mark Armistice Day and the 459 clear and 43 filtered apertures produce powerful shafts of light to represent the fallen soldiers from the city and the parishes of our district.
A Remembrance Sunday Service will be held at 10am at the Cathedral on Sunday 11 November to commemorate the end of the First World War. Later that day the Theatre Royal, Winchester is hosting ‘The Armistice Centenary Recalled’, a moving recital of contemporary writings to recreate the mood of the time.
Tickets are available here https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/the-armistice-centenary-recalled/
Visitors and residents are also invited to explore some of the many stories of First World War servicemen and servicewomen from Hampshire in an exhibition, ‘When the guns fell silent’, at the Winchester Discovery Centre, hosted by the Winchester Military Museums.
More information is available here:https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/event/when-guns-fell-silent-remembering-end-first-world-war