‘Unknown Tommy’ silhouettes added to town centre garden

07 May 2025

Two silhouettes of fallen soldiers have been installed in St Katherine’s Gardens as part of Northampton’s VE Day commemorations.

The aluminium ‘Unknown Tommy’ statues have been funded by the Royal British Legion (RBL) and installed ahead of this week’s celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. They form part of an ongoing project to revitalise the popular green space.

The silhouettes will sit alongside a new wave of planting in the area’s flower beds and the replacement of a bench thanks to a £3,000 donation from Zone Developments, one of the companies involved in the current regeneration of the town centre.

“With the RBL featuring so prominently in St Katherine’s Gardens it feels the perfect place to install the Unknown Tommy’ silhouettes, which will serve as a poignant year-round reminder of all those who made the ultimate sacrifice to secure the freedoms we all enjoy today.

“We are extremely grateful for the financial support from our partners at Zone Developments and colleagues at West Northamptonshire Council for facilitating these conversations with the RBL and granting the permissions necessary to make this happen. All three organisations came along to help us, along with volunteers from Workbridge and the park wardens.

“The new planting will bring an immediate pop of colour to the garden and we will be returning later this year to plant hundreds of tulip bulbs ahead of a spectacular display next spring.”

Mark Mullen, operations manager for Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID)

“The evolution of St Katherine’s Gardens as a much-loved and well-used beauty spot is something that we have enjoyed following while we have been working to regenerate the town centre and we are delighted to play our part in continuing the story.

“Having the opportunity to create a focal point where people can take a moment to reflect on our war heroes in the RBL garden is something we were more than happy to support.”

Rob Dyson, construction manager at Zone Developments

The BID has received support from multiple partners to transform St Katherine’s Gardens, including West Northamptonshire Council, Northampton Town Council, Northampton College, the University of Northampton and the Mercure hotel.

“The anniversary of VE Day is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices our soldiers made and we look forward to the community coming together to enjoy this new space in the heart of Northampton.”Paul Chapman, Chairman of Northampton RBL