Ghost Soldiers of St. John's Church

Tomorrow, 11 November 2018, marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1.  As we remember the day that ended the war to end all wars, I wanted to share with you a hauntingly beautiful art installation dedicated to fallen soldiers in one English town.

In the small village burial yard of St. John's Church in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire,  eleven 'ghost soldiers' made of chicken wire stand guard over their own tombstones.  The phantom soldiers are the work of local artist, Jackie Lantelli.  Ms. Lantelli, who generally creates fairy sculptures from chicken wire, decided to use that medium to honor the eleven men from the village who died serving their country during that great war of 1914 to 1918. 

The sculptures will be on display through Monday, and have already caused quite an emotional response among visitors, who now have a more concrete representation of the men who are generally only remembered with a name inscribed on a tombstone. 

For more information and more photographs, please see this BBC article, Ghost Sculptures of WW 1 Soldiers Erected in Cemetery. Photos by Robert Eveleigh/Slimbridge Local Historical Society.