Armistice Day tribute: Woolly soldier memorial unveiled by ‘Knitting Banksy’
A life-sized knitted soldier has been placed at a war memorial thanks to an anonymous crafting enthusiast known only as Knitting Banksy.
The work has been positioned next to the War Memorial Clock Tower in Syston, Leicestershire, ahead of Remembrance Day on Thursday.
The identity of the artist is not known, but she has built up a level of fame thanks to her previous creations.
This includes her post box toppers which have been popping up around the Leicestershire town for the last two years.
Among the works she has placed atop local pillar boxes include tributes to the Queen, FA Cup winners Leicester City and actor Stephen Graham, as well as a bust of a soldier for last year’s Armistice Day.
Now she has gone one better by creating an entire life-sized soldier out of wool.
The stealthy knitter has earned comparisons with anonymous street artist Banksy, hence her nickname.
What is Armistice Day?
Armistice Day services commemorate the signing of the Armistice which brought an end to the First World War.
It remembers all those who gave their lives in service to their country since 1914.
The Armistice, an agreement to end the fighting of the First World War as a prelude to peace negotiations, began at 11am on 11 November 1918.
Armistice is Latin for to stand (still) arms.
To this day we mark Armistice Day around the country with a Two Minute Silence at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month.
Where can I mark Remembrance Sunday in the Midlands this year?
Birmingham’s annual Remembrance Day Service will take place on Colmore Row, opposite St Philip’s Cathedral, on Sunday 14 November, attended by military veterans and Armed Forces representatives.
Dudley Council has confirmed a Remembrance Sunday service will go ahead in the town centre to remember the borough’s fallen heroes. Ex-service men and women, along with community groups will join a short parade that will step off from Stone Street Square at 10.25am. The parade will move past the World War One memorial on Priory Street, down Priory Road and onto Ednam Road before coming to a halt at the cenotaph.
In Nottingham, the traditional wreath laying and two-minute silence at the city’s war memorial on Victoria Embankment will take place on Sunday with the ceremony beginning at 10.45am. There will be a full service with music played throughout by The Nottinghamshire Band of The Royal Engineers (volunteers) which will be accompanied by the Nottingham Hospitals Choir.
In Leicester, commemorations take place at the Arch of Remembrance in Victoria Park, on Sunday – the first time in two years that the service has been able to take place due to Covid-19 restrictions which were in place during 2020. Some changes have been made to this year’s service to help make it more Covid secure. This year’s service will be slightly shorter than in previous years, and will not include a parade leaving De Montfort Hall, which would usually mark the start of the service.