'Eleven 'O' One'

This statue of a World War I-era soldier is over nine feet high and is amazingly detailed. “Eleven ‘O’ One” was created in 2014 by Ray Lonsdale.

Originally, it was meant to be displayed in Seaham temporarily to commemorate of the centenary of the start of World War 1. However, the artwork became so loved by the locals that a committee of townspeople raised £102,000 to purchase the statue. The purchase price was ceremonially handed over on August 14.

The statue is built with “weathering steel,” which produces a rust-red protective patina on its surface. The figure wears the typical uniform and equipment of a 20th-century British soldier, complete with a rifle, bayonet, and steel helmet.

Although officially known as “Eleven ‘O’ One,” the much-loved statue it is locally known as “Tommy” after the well-known archetype Tommy Atkins, the common name applied the British infantryman in both world wars.