A STATUE of a British soldier who fought during the First World War has been produced for the Durham Light Infantry Association.

The statue, called Tommy, stands a foot high, weighs 1.5lbs. It has been created by County Durham artist Paul Dunn who carved it out of wax to produce a mould which was then cast in bronze.

Association secretary Kevin Storey came up with the idea after he was inspired by a drawing by Adrian Hill, a front-line war artist for the Ministry of Defence.

The idea is to commemorate the anniversaries of The Battle of Loos this year and The Battle of the Somme next year.

Engraved in the bronze are the words: "I have a rendezvous with death", which is the first line from First World War poet Alan Seeger's Rendezvous.

He joined the Foreign Legion and was killed in the trenches in France shortly after writing the poem.

Mr Storey said: "The idea is to pay tribute to all the men who lost their lives in the trenches and all those who survived as well.

"Everything about Tommy has been made here in the North-East. It is a superb statue and we are very pleased with it."

On September 25, the DLI will present a statue to the Mayor of Loos at a ceremony to commemorate the 90th anniversary Battle of Loos, in which the 14th and 15th battalion saw its numbers halved during the slaughter.

Tommy costs £32.50 plus postage and packing and anyone interested in applying for one is asked to call the DLI office on 0191-386 5496.