SJ8497 : Entrance to Manchester Piccadilly
taken 4 years ago, near to Manchester, England
The poignant statue 'Victory over Blindness' which now stands outside the entrance to Manchester’s Piccadilly Station was unveiled on 16 October 2018 by the Countess of Wessex. It depicts six blinded soldiers walking in a line, supporting each other with their hands on their comrades’ shoulders; they are being led by a seventh who appears to have lost one eye and is also reliant on crutches. It is accompanied by two plaques, one of which is in braille. The statue is intended to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War and also to act as a reminder of the sacrifice of soldiers who lost their sight during that and subsequent wars being a testament to the thousands of blind veterans we have supported in rebuilding their lives after sight loss.
The work, by the sculptor Johanna Domke-Guyot, was commissioned by Blind Veterans UK, a charity which was set up in 1915 and supported around 3,000 soldiers blinded in the conflict through rehabilitation and training. Today it helps veterans regardless of when they served or how they lost their sight. The charity believes it is the only memorial in the UK to portray disabled veterans.
Link Blind Veterans UK