Today's Object of the Week is a statue - well two statues really - which symbolise a moment in history.
A statue symbolising a historical moment for the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) stands proudly in Durham City.
Standing larger than life with its head bowed slightly, the DLI bugler dressed in the combat uniform of the Korean War looks down and demands the attention of passers-by.
The bronze figure represents a DLI bugler from the war, a tribute to the regiment's final battle honour in 1953.
It was then that a platoon of 1 DLI buglers sounded the ceasefire from a frontline hilltop.
The Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Paul Butler, led the ceremony.
Special guests included General Sir Peter de la Billière, former director of the SAS and commander-in-chief of the British forces during the 1990 Gulf War, and Lieutenant General Tim Evans, commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
Republic of Korea Ambassador Sungnam Lim also paid homage, saying: "My country is extremely grateful to all those who came to our aid during the Korean War in the early 1950s.
"I share your sorrow for members of the Durham Light Infantry who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom."
The memorial was funded by donations and is a replica of the statue unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire in 2012.
The original memorial appeal was launched by two ex-DLI soldiers, bugler Richard Softley and signaller Keith Straughier.
More than £90,000 was raised for the statue, much of it coming from Northern Echo readers.
Captain Tony Lynn designed the plinth of Portland stone and drew up the first draft sketches of the statue.
The statue was modelled in clay by sculptor Alan Herriot, in Howgate, near Edinburgh, and was based on a photograph of the then 18-year-old Colour Sergeant Brandon Mulvey, of Chester-le-Street.
Three veterans of the 1953 bugling party were present at the unveiling of the original statue at the National Memorial Arboretum in July 2012 – Harry Sanson, John Hoare and Roland Jones.
Read more: Gavin Engelbrecht talks to the regiment’s bugler who sounded the ceasefire in the Korean War.
They were joined by hundreds of veterans of the DLI, who gathered under a glorious sky to mark the dedication of the permanent memorial – immortalising the sacrifices of their compatriots over the years.
The guest of honour was Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy, Royal Colonel 3rd Battalion, The Rifles – made Colonel-in-Chief of the DLI on her 21st birthday and later of the Light Infantry into which it was merged, before evolving ultimately into The Rifles.
It was a special day, too, Mr Straughier and Mr Softley, without whom the day would not have happened.
The appeal to raise the money needed for the memorial was launched after the two former DLI soldiers visited the arboretum, home to more than 200 memorials, where they discovered, to their dismay, that the DLI was not represented.
In the first two weeks, fundraisers collected more than £25,000, the bulk of it from readers of The Northern Echo and its sister paper, The Durham Times.
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DLI trustee Brigadier Robert "Bob" MacGregor- Oakford, who served in Korea, said: "The DLI made a major and almost unique contribution to the defence of its country for more than 200 years.
"DLI soldiers and their families endured huge sacrifices in doing so, with 12,000 losing their lives in the First World War.
"The regiment was awarded 11 Victoria Crosses and was acclaimed wherever it went."
Thanks to Gavin Engelbrecht for his help in compiling this feature.
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