__FORCETOC__ ''Freddie Gilroy and the Belsen Stragglers'' is a statue by sculptor

Ray Lonsdale Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gr ...

which overlooks North Bay of

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

, England. Made from

weathering steel Weathering steel, often referred to by the genericised trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as corten steel, is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a stable rus ...

, the sculpture depicts Freddie Gilroy, a former soldier who participated in the liberation of

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concent ...

, sitting on a bench in his old age. Gilroy was a friend of the sculptor and Lonsdale made the piece partly as a tribute to him, but also as a wider war and

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

memorial. Originally intended to sit on the seafront as a 4-week loan in 2011, a local resident donated money to purchase the sculpture for the town.

Description

Gilroy and the bench are sculpted at twice lifescale, making the figure almost in length. The sculpture, fabricated of weathering

Corten steel Weathering steel, often referred to by the genericised trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as corten steel, is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a stable rus ...

, took artist Lonsdale three months to make. Gilroy, a

South Hetton South Hetton is a former mining village in the County Durham district of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated to the east of Durham and to the south of Sunderland as the crow flies. It had a population of 2,618 ac ...

brickmaker and colliery worker, served with the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and became one of the first Allied troops to help liberate

in April 1945. He died in November 2008. Lonsdale created the sculpture as a commercial piece but also as a memorial to Gilroy and soldiers in general. The sculpture itself contains no mention of the connection with Belsen or the war and at first appearance is just an old man sat on a bench. Gilroy occupies one seat on the bench which, despite its height, offers visitors an opportunity to sit next to him. A plaque is placed in the front centre of the bench, in common with memorial benches elsewhere on the seafront. Text on the plaque includes a poem written by Lonsdale: Victoria Nesfield of the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

, in her review of the piece said that "it occupies an unusual place between memorialization and art". She noted that by offering a space for people to sit and pose with Gilroy Lonsdale has created a sculpture unlike most other holocaust memorials. The term "Belsen stragglers" is a phrase used at the time of the liberation to describe the survivors of the camp. The sculpture has been described as "much loved by people in the town".

History

The sculpture was installed on Royal Albert Drive, Scarborough in a position overlooking the town's North Bay in November 2011. The installation was initially supposed to be a 4-week exhibition provided via the Artsbank initiative, which promotes local artists through short-term loans. The sculpture proved popular and a local appeal was set up to raise £50,000 to purchase the sculpture for the town. In December a local resident, Maureen Robinson donated £50,000 to the appeal, from her life savings. Robinson dedicated the gift to her husband Michael to mark their wedding anniversary on 19 December.Plaque at the statue site The sculpture is now owned by

Scarborough Borough Council Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

and is considered a local landmark. At around 8pm on 26 January 2012 the sculpture was vandalised with yellow gloss paint. Due to the Belsen connection and for occurring on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day an anti-Semitic motive was considered possible. The paint was removed by a council team on the day after the attack. Later in 2012 an explanatory plaque was added nearby. Also in 2012 Lonsdale proposed that the piece be moved to a position overlooking South Bay near to the

Rotunda Museum The Rotunda Museum is one of the oldest purpose-built museums still in use in the United Kingdom. The curved grade II* listed building was constructed in 1829 as one of the country's first purpose-built museums. Situated in the English coastal ...

, as it was suffering corrosion from sea water in rough weather. The move was planned for January 2013. Despite this, as of September 2020 the sculpture remained in its original location on Royal Albert Drive. Some of Lonsdale's other works are also located in the town, including ''The Tunney'' on Marine Drive, South Bay; ''The Smuggler's Apprentice'' on Merchant's Row, South Bay; ''A High Tide in Short Wellies'' in

Filey Filey () is a seaside town and civil parish in the Borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire, it is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on Filey Bay. Although it was a fishing ...

and ''Pull Don't Push'' in

Dalby Forest Dalby Forest is a forest located on the southern slopes of the North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire, England. It is maintained by Forestry England. Dalby Forest, along with Langdale Forest and Cropton Forest, forms part of the No ...

. Another of Lonsdale's works, ''1101'', known popularly as ''Tommy'', depicting a First World War Soldier is situated in

Seaham Seaham is a seaside town in County Durham, England. Located on the Durham Coast, Seaham is situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham. The town grew from the late 19th century onwards as a result of investments in its harbour and c ...

, County Durham.

References

{{Reflist 2011 sculptures Scarborough, North Yorkshire Steel sculptures in England Outdoor sculptures in England World War II memorials in England