National Trust’s Stowe Gardens experiences record-breaking day as memorial artwork draws thousands | News

4,000 visitors attended on Sunday 13 October as part of a tribute to fallen D-Day servicemen

Since the launch of the For Your Tomorrow memorial artwork at Stowe Gardens on 1 October, more than 30,000 people have visited the site. On Sunday 13 October, Stowe Gardens experienced its busiest day in history, with 4,000 visitors, some travelling from as far as Jersey to see the installation. Cars lined Stowe Avenue as people gathered to witness the tribute.

The installation features 1,475 life-sized silhouettes representing servicemen under British Command who died during the D-Day landings in 1944. This marks the first time the complete set of 1,475 figures has been displayed in the UK. Alongside the soldiers, sailors, and airmen, two bespoke figures honour nurses who lost their lives while rescuing 75 men from a sinking hospital ship. Fifty silhouettes of French resistance fighters have also been placed in the woodland along a nearby footpath.

The artwork, titled For Your Tomorrow – The People’s Tribute, was created by Dan Barton, a community artist from the Standing with Giants project. Volunteers from the charity were responsible for constructing the 30-tonne installation, which took over 200 volunteers two weeks to set up in the Grecian Valley at Stowe Gardens.

Veterans regularly visit the memorial to reflect and pay their respects in the Memorial Garden. One veteran shared their reaction to the artwork:

“Standing with Giants’ For Your Tomorrow is intensely emotional, breathtakingly powerful and poignantly beautiful. I wasn’t expecting the weight of emotion I felt until I was standing amongst the figures, each with their head bowed. I had an overwhelming need to touch them to let them know they were not alone. But what really got to me were the last letters home displayed on the boards amongst them. The first one I read had me in tears, clearly written from a recent conflict, it hit home hard. I’ve stood silently at too many ceremonies honouring the fallen on their last journey home and the memories came flooding back. Never were the words ‘For Your Tomorrow’ more apt. If you have a chance to visit, don’t hesitate, it is a remarkable tribute.”

Tanya Brittain, General Manager of Stowe Gardens, commented on the significance of hosting the memorial:

“It’s an honour to be chosen as the UK location for this memorial exhibition, For Your Tomorrow – The People’s Tribute. On the lead up to Remembrance Day it’s an opportunity for people to remember family, friends and colleagues lost in conflicts over the decades. Stowe has a rich military history, and the stunning backdrop of the Grecian Valley provides an ideal setting for this poignant outdoor art installation.”

The exhibition will remain at Stowe Gardens until Remembrance Day on 11 November.