Sheffield sculpture honours fallen soldiers of WWI

A sculpture honouring the 270 men from Sheffield who were killed in the Battle of the Somme in World War One has been created by an artist from the city.

Sam Sherborne’s memorial piece depicts each one of the soldiers from The Sheffield City Battalion who were thought to have all been killed on the first day of one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

Mr Sherborne described the events as “probably the worst 10 minutes in Sheffield’s history”.

The memorial sculpture will be displayed at the Millennium Galleries in Sheffield from Tuesday.

Mr Sherborne, a former blacksmith, created the metal sculpture over a four month period in his workshop in the former Vulcan Tavern pub.

“I’m always interested in Sheffield history and people who should be memorialised, but have been put to one side,” he said.

The 63-year-old said he was inspired to create the artwork after reading about soldiers based on the battalion in the John Harris novel, Covenant with Death.

“These were ordinary men, not military men, doing management jobs, shop floor work,” he said

“They volunteered in 1914, sons, fathers and husbands.

“It’s a sacrifice we should remember, we need to keep them alive so people remember what war really means.”

“If you read it in a book, that’s one thing, but if you look at the sculpture I hope it’s a visceral experience.”

The sculpture will stand on a plinth at the Millennium Gallery, 2.5 metres (8ft 2ins) tall and 2 metres (6ft 6ins) wide.

The size and scale of the artwork meant a health and safety check had to be carried out by the gallery before it was installed.

Amy Marsh from Sheffield Museums said it presented a “poignant reminder” to people.

“When you hear about the numbers of people who died in the war and the numbers are so big, it can be hard to comprehend,” she said.

“But when you see the rows in front of you and each one is slightly different, a tilt of the hat, or a different pose, you see the individual people not the statistics.”

Mr Sherborne’s latest work follows his recent display at the Cooper Galley in Barnsley in 2024, which was inspired by his own health scare following treatment for prostate cancer.

Earlier this year the artist also created a plaque in tribute to another Sheffield World War One veteran, William Plommer who was killed by a Sheffield gang.

The Millennium Gallery will also display other sculptures of his alongside 270.