Tommy Statue (Eleven-O-One) – Seaham

Large statue of First World War soldier overlooking green on Seaham front. Coffee shops, cafes, fish and chip shops and ice-cream parlours along the front.

Tommy is a statue of a First World War soldier by artist Ray Lonsdale, displayed close to Seaham war memorial, on Terrace Green by the seafront in Seaham, County Durham, in North East England.It is officially named 1101 (or Eleven-O-One), referring to the first minute of peace as the armistice came into force at 11am on 11 November 1918, but is more popularly known as Tommy, referring to the archetype private soldier Tommy Atkins.

This impressive modern sculpture, which the hiker encounters here, is a contemporary reminder of the suffering and horror of the First World War. When designing the memorial, the artist did not choose a glorious fighter and victor. Instead, he depicts a war-weary soldier, rifle in hand, who has slumped slightly and needs to rest.