Striking new art display warns public of military land dangers

An art display featuring 10ft-high giant silhouettes of soldiers has been installed near the White Horse as part of a campaign designed to raise public awareness of the dangers of using military land. 

The official unveiling took place on 17th July and was attended by members of Bratton Primary School’s Little Troopers, a group for children who have a parent or parents in the military. 

The art installation, designed by the charity Standing with Giants, features silhouette giants modelled on soldiers from 5 Rifles, who conduct military training at nearby Salisbury Plain, alongside smaller figures representing civilians. 

The artwork has been installed to raise awareness of the MOD’s Respect the Range campaign to promote safety advice for members of the public, including families and children, about how they can stay safe when on and around military land. The campaign is being launched locally due to the high number of incidents involving the public accessing the training estate, causing a number of ‘near misses’ where training was interrupted due to serious safety risks to the public or the military. 

Brigadier Gavin Hatcher CBE, head of the Defence Training Estate, said, “Military training can take place round-the-clock and MOD land can go from calm to combat at a moment’s notice. By working together, we can ensure the public and our military keep each other safe.” 

He spoke to the children from the Little Troopers group at the unveiling about safety when using the range. “The aim for us is to try and draw attention to Respect the Range. We need to restrict access when training is occurring and we need to make sure we keep the public safe,” he said. 

Little Trooper member Lucy, 9, said, “The message is to stay on the footpaths that are on the maps.” 

The children read a poem – an adaptation of ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ – that included warnings such as ‘we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, we need to turn around – the military land is in use.’ 

RFN Isabel O’Malley, one of the soldiers on whom the military ‘giants’ were modelled, said, “Training is key to our safety when on deployment, and it can be frustrating when we have to stop activity mid-exercise because a member of the public has strayed into an area they shouldn’t be, putting both themselves and us at risk.” 

The MOD has issued guidelines to help keep the public safe when using military land: 

• Look out for red flags and observe all signs and information  

• Check live firing and training times online at gov.uk before visiting a military training area  

• Stick to footpaths, bridleways, byways and public rights of way   

• Keep dogs under close control and pick up after them   

• Never touch any military debris and report it for safe removal  

The installation can be accessed from the White Horse car park and will remain in place until mid-August.