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Notes
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The life-size rusted Corten steel statue of a soldier and civilian is located in the memorial garden dedicated to the four fighting Bradfords of Witton Park, County Durham. Four brothers went to war and three were killed, only one returning home from the battlefield. The memorial garden was specially commissioned for the 100th Anniversary of Roland Bradford's gallantry in the face of the enemy. It also remembers George Bradford, the brothers being the only two brothers to be awarded the Victoria Cross. The statue depicts a returning soldier in uniform, head bowed beneath the weight of his tin hat; he appears heavily burdened with not only the weight of his rifle on his back but also the burdens of his war experiences. The civilian, a miner, a friend, wearing a broad flat cap, reaches out to him, handing the soldier the laced up football which is symbolic of the footballing and cricketing pre-war pursuits of the Bradford brothers and as a way of helping the soldier to reconnect with the civilian life he had lost.
Title
The Ball and the Bradford Boy
Date
2017
Medium
Corten steel
Measurements
H 155 x W 110 x D 60 cm
Accession number
DL14_EV_S013
Acquisition method
funded by Durham County Council, Groundworks North East, and Heritage Lottery Fund
Work type
War memorial
Owner
Durham County Council
Custodian
Durham County Council
Work status
extant
Unveiling date
11th March 2017
Access
at all times
Inscription description
to the left of the garden the plaque holds two circles, within each is an image of the VC and details of George and Roland: LIEUTENANT COMMANDER / GEORGE BRADFORD / ROYAL NAVY / 22ND APRIL - 23 APRIL 1918; LIEUTENANT COLONEL / ROLAND BRADFORD / DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY / 1ST OCTOBER 1916