Shrouds of the Somme (5) - 18 November 2018

Shrouds of the Somme is an installation which was on display in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 8-18 November 2018. It commemorated the 72.396 British Commonwealth servicemen killed at the Somme who have no known grave and whose names are engraved on the Thiepval Memorial. The work was created by artist Rob Heard. Previous installations in Exeter and Bristol featured 19,240 figures. This staggering number is how many were killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 2016.

Everybody who visited this installation will have their own feelings, interpretation and, in many cases, record of what they saw. This picture is part of my record and is a special tribute to Canada, a country for which I have great affection.

Photograph and art direction by John Oram
Photoshop (selective colouring) by Gregory Halse

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