Armistice 2018 – Exeter’s Sleeping Soldier

Exeter Cathedral’s sleeping soldier is getting ready to watch over the cathedral from dusk til dawn the night before the centenary of the Armistice.

What’s going on this weekend at your nearest cathedral.

The sleeping soldier artwork will be projected onto the North Tower of the Cathedral this Saturday evening and is an Arts Council funded installation by Exeter artist Leo Jamelli whose ambition was to portray fallen soldiers awakening for one night to commemorate the centenary of Armistice.

The installation will be projected throughout the night and as the sun rises on the dawn of Remembrance Day, it will slowly fade into the rising sun to signify the watch is over and they pass once more into eternal sleep to join their fallen comrades.

The Dean of Exeter Cathedral, the Very Rev Jonathan Greener, said:

“One hundred years ago, the Cathedral was at the heart of the county’s Armistice celebrations when three thousand people attended a quickly arranged thanksgiving service on the 11th.

“Today, the Cathedral will mark Armistice, as we always do, with services but we also wanted to put on a range of different events to help everyone connect with this poignant and moving anniversary.”

Retired major general Andy Salmon OBE, the last British general in Basra, Iraq and a former chorister, is bringing his unique fusion of stories from veterans with art and music arranged for injured service personnel following the First World War to the Cathedral for one night only. The production Journey Through Conflict: From Then Until Now is available for just one night on 9 November.

Also performing in the Cathedral is the award winning theatre company Antic Disposition, who are putting on three very special Remembrance themed performances of Shakespeare’s Henry V, in which the setting moves between 1415 and 1915.

The Cathedral is also putting on its own series of talks examining the ethics of armed conflict, reconciliation and remembrance. Speakers include the Cathedral’s own Canon Treasurer, Dr Mike Williams, a former Royal Marine, and Dr Georgina Byrne, canon of Worcester Cathedral and a chaplain to the Queen.

Music will play a focal role in Remembrance services and commemorations with the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance with the Band of the Royal Marines, the dedication of the Field of Remembrance on Cathedral Green, and three Remembrance Services on Sunday 11 November itself.