Ayrshire Field of Heroes

Ken Nairn, local historian and driving force behind VE 80 South Ayrshire was largely responsible for securing this important exhibition for the town.

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Ken, along with Terry Wright and a team of volunteers, ensured that local people had the opportunity to visit this remarkable installation and pay their respects to the members of the armed forces from South Ayrshire who lost their lives in WW2.  The exhibition comprised 126 life-size silhouettes of serving personnel from all branches of the armed forces.

“We only enjoy the freedoms we have today because of the sacrifice of these men and women 80 years ago, so it is really important for us to take the time and effort to properly mark this anniversary.  By listening to the individual stories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, visitors will hopefully leave with a deeper emotional connection to that generation and what they did for us”  (Ken Nairn).

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The inspiration behind the exhibition is the artist Dan Barton    In 2024, he created the Standing with Giants ’installation which overlooked Gold Beach in Normandy and featured 1475 silhouettes, highlighting the number of service personnel who died serving under British command on D-Day.

The Ayrshire Field of Heroes silhouettes were individually sponsored by local businesses, organisations and individuals.  Many of them had a scannable QR code, which led to a short video explaining the story of the associated individual’s service and sacrifice.  These stories were researched and compiled by volunteers at locations throughout Ayrshire.  Each story was told in the first person and voiced by someone the same age as the individual commemorated.

In addition to the silhouettes, there was a blanket of poppies, a cascade of painted stones, around the War Memorial in Wellington Square. These stones were painted by children from local primary schools under the supervision of VE 80 South Ayrshire volunteer Chris Rutter.  This colourful display ensured that young people in our local community would take some ownership of the exhibition and engage with the history which has shaped our world today.

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“The school children were enthusiastic about paining the stones and very interested in the significance of the poppies they were painting” (Chris Rutter).

Local primary school children also made poppies from painted plastic bottle bottoms held together with wire and buttons.

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Visitors to the exhibition were invited to write messages on giant poppies.  There were hundreds of inspirational messages:  “Powerful, emotional display”;  “Fantastic”;  “What an amazing and also beautiful art collection”; “It is very positive and powerful”.

In addition to the displays, numerous events took place over the course of each day.  Daily talks and tours were led by members of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  These talks gave insights into some of the individuals portrayed in the silhouettes and brought the history of WW2 and its personnel into perspective.  Also, interviews were conducted with a number of local people who were invited to share recollections of their WW2 experiences. Among those who told their stories were:

• Flight Lieutenant Harry Richardson, aged 107, served with RAF Bomber Command for eight years, flying 62 missions across Europe and Asia.  He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his outstanding bravery and service.
• Scott Aird talked about his four uncles who served in Burma, Europe and North Africa throughout WW2.  Visiting the Ayrshire Field of Heroes has inspired Scott to travel to pay his respects in person to his uncle who was killed in active service in North Africa.

• Ena Allan told her story of being evacuated as a child, with just a label pinned to her coat, holding a gas mask and carrying a small suitcase containing a change of clothing.  It was more than six months before she returned home.

• Michael Burley told how his father, who was in the Middlesex Regiment,  was billeted in Ayr before going on active service.  He was seriously injured at the Salerno Landings in September 1943 and subsequently evacuated back to Ayr to recover.  He met and married Michael’s mother and they lived in Ayr for the rest of their lives.

Each evening, a sundown Commemorative Service was held at the War Memorial in Wellington Square.  On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, May 8, the Service was attended by over 2500 people.  It started with members of the Armed Services, led by Ayr Pipe Band, parading from The Cutty Sark to Wellington Square where the Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran, Iona Sara McDonald OBE, took the salute.  The Service of Commemoration was led by Rev David Gemmel, Minister of Alloway Auld Kirk and Bishop Frank Dougan the Bishop of Galloway.  The Balgarth Choir, conducted by Beatrice Clark, sang a selection of “songs that won the war” and Bugler Luke Parkhill, a senior student at Belmont Academy and winner of the 2025 South Ayrshire Senior Young Musician of the Year, sounded The Last Post.  The names of those commemorated on the War Memorial were read out as wreaths were laid.  At the end of the Service, everyone was invited to go to the Low Green where a beacon was lit at precisely 21.30.  The lighting of the Beacon coordinated with the lighting of Beacons all along the South Ayrshire coast from Ballantrae to Troon.

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The Ayrshire Field of Heroes was a huge success.  It is estimated that over 8000 visitors enjoyed the installation over the period of the display.

There are many similarities between the Ayrshire Field of Heroes and the Alloway Tunnel Mural  

Both are art installations on a grand scale, inspired by talented artists and driven by team of totally committed individuals.  Both allow free access for everyone and provide the opportunity to stop, look and reflect.

Community involvement, especially of school children, is a key aspect of both Projects, thereby both educating the participants and giving them ownership of the final installation.

Although the Ayrshire Field of Heroes is not a permanent installation, it will live long in the memories of those privileged enough to have seen it, to have walked among the silhouettes and to have had this unique opportunity pay their own respects to the brave men and women of South Ayrshire who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Hazel Sommerville

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