Statue finally unveiled for 'forgotten' war hero

A statue celebrating the life of a "forgotten war hero" from World War Two has been unveiled at the spot where he used to visit with his family.

The near 9ft (2.74m) tall sculpture of Sunderland veteran Len Gibson, who survived being a Japanese prisoner of war, stands in South Shields' North Marine Park.

Brian Burnie, who founded the cancer charity Daft as a Brush, commissioned artist Ray Lonsdale to pay tribute to a "wonderful" friend who died aged 101, in 2021.

More than 100 people, including veterans, turned out to mark Mr Gibson's life, and the reveal of the artwork, at a special ceremony earlier.

"He was in captivity for three and a half years, and must have buried someone every day of his life there," Mr Burnie, who commissioned the artwork several years ago, said.

"He would be very proud, but not just Len, the others looking down on us. He was a wonderful gentleman and seeing this today, really depicts him as a person."

Mr Gibson was among 60,000 Allied prisoners forced by the Japanese to build the so-called "Death Railway" between Thailand and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, from 1942 to 1943.

They were among the so-called "forgotten army", whose efforts in Asia were overlooked by the ending of the World War Two in Europe months before.

His son, David Gibson, travelled to the event from his home near Bedale, North Yorkshire, and admitted being unaware of the significance of part of his father's life.

He explained: "He was a hero anyway, before I knew anything about this.

"It's really a tribute, my dad would say, for all the guys who were out there who didn't come back."

He added the statue's position was in an "appropriate location" as it was near to where his father would take him and his mother for coffee in later life.

"It's called the Forgotten Army but hopefully today, we will redress that issue," Mr Burnie added.

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