March 2020 - The Soldiers of Sacrifice sculpture by Alfie Bradley, which marked the 75th anniversary of D-Day by Alfie Bradley, is on display at The D-Day Story, Portsmouth, England. Fabricated using steel rods, steel sheet, welding wire and resin, Soldiers of Sacrifice represents Den Brotheridge, widely believed to be the first Allied serviceman to die on D-Day. The figure kneels atop 4,413 bullets, symbolizing his comrades in arms who also fell in battle.
The soldier’s shape is crouched as if to throw a grenade, but instead is releasing a dove, which signifies peace and acknowledges the soldiers’ sacrifices were not in vain. “This has been such a meaningful project for me,” Bradley said. “I can’t even begin to imagine how terrifying it would’ve been to land in Normandy that day.” The more he learned during the making of the sculpture, the more he realized how grateful “we all should be” for their heroism.
Photo: Steve Crawshaw
