I recently visited Seaham on the Durham coast to photograph The Forgotten Soldier — Ray Lonsdale’s haunting memorial to those lost in war.
The town greeted me with sea air and the crash of waves against the cliffs. As I approached the statue, the world seemed to quiet. The soldier sits with his head bowed and rifle by his side — not in glory, but in reflection. Through my lens, I tried to capture that stillness, the weight of memory etched into every line of his face.
Watching people stop, pause, and leave small tokens of respect reminded me that remembrance isn’t just for one day each year. It lives on in places like this — in art, in silence, and in the stories we choose to preserve.
If you visit, go early. The soft coastal light gives The Forgotten Soldier a timeless presence — a moment suspended between sea, sky, and memory.