Bronze sculpture donated to Cardiff Castle in honour of soldiers

A bronze sculpture of a soldier's face has been donated to the Cardiff's Firing Line Museum to honour those who have fought in war.

'The Abandoned Soldier', modeled on the face of British ex-soldier Daniel Twiddy, was made for a project that aimed to encourage better aftercare for soldiers.

After travelling around the country, including to the top of Mt Snowdon, the sculpture has been given a permanent home in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

Richard Hunt was the 200th soldier to be killed in Afghanistan. Credit: Hazel Hunt

Hazel Hunt from Abergavenny, whose son Richard was killed in Afghanistan in 2009, attended the event celebrating the donation on Saturday.

"It encompasses everything that there is to do with the fallout of war. You only have to look at his expression and it's all rolled into one.

The fact that they go to war and come back changed, whether that be physically or mentally, the sorrow that you have from losing good friends or relatives, and the fact that when you come back it's so soon forgotten by both public and government."

Private Richard Hunt was the 200th soldier to die in Afghanistan. It was a week before his 22nd birthday.

The sculpture took four months to create.

Mark Christmas, the project's development officer and a former soldier, said giving the sculpture a permanent home will help improve public understanding of the impact of war.

"The idea of this image that is so, so powerful, to be hidden away, when actually the public needs sight - if they can't imagine PTSD, then look at the sculpture."