- October 11 to April 19, 2026
- Near the Menin Gate
The Hauntings is a 6.5-meter-high artwork constructed entirely of wrought iron.
The sculpture is set up on the photo island near the Menin Gate. This effigy faces the Menin Gate, symbolic of the names of those who did not return from the battlefield.
The initiative for the statue came from Jo Oliver, who lives in the Dorset and Somerset area.
In her youth, Jo heard about a story of a young soldier wandering through the misty fields. You could hear, feel and sometimes see him as he searched for his home, loved ones and ultimate destination.
When she later moved near these fields, Jo saw it as her mission to have this figure sculpted from a weld of discarded pieces of metal.
The intricate details allowed light to filter through his form and gave the sculpture a mystical aura.
This soldier is the common man.
He is not attached to any race or politics and certainly not to war love.
He plays an essential role commemorating all that is good in the ordinary man challenged by war or other adversity.
After its display at the Menin Gate, the statue departs back to the United Kingdom for its final, permanent home: the estate of Jo and her husband Paul.
