A powerful D-Day display will depart for Normandy on 10 April – before returning to Waddesdon Manor this autumn
An emotional and dramatic large-scale installation commemorating those who gave their lives for freedom during the D- Day landings (6 June 1944) will be displayed in the tranquil grounds of Waddesdon Manor this autumn.
From 21 October – 29 November 2026 visitors will be able to stop, think and reflect in the presence of the powerful For Your Tomorrow installation, updated for this year, comprising 1,476 life size silhouettes, each representing a life lost under British command on D Day as well as the wider conflict.
The installation has been created by the charity Standing with Giants to humanise the scale of loss, transforming statistics into an individual presence while paying tribute to those that made the ultimate sacrifice.
Ahead of the residency, there is an early opportunity on Friday 10 April to wave off a special convoy departing Waddesdon for Normandy, where the silhouettes will be displayed at Ver-sur-Mer for 6 months.
The silhouettes themselves will not be installed across the grounds of Waddesdon until the autumn. Instead, the installation will be fully packed into its 18 steel stillages, with the 1,476 silhouettes secured inside, exactly as they travel to the British Normandy Memorial for the spring and summer season. Each stillage forms part of the artwork in its own right, wrapped with bespoke poetry and letters. Visitors on 10 April will therefore see the installation prepared and ready for its journey, rather than displayed in position.
A convoy of four lorries escorted by Harley-Davidson remembrance riders will set off at 13.00pm and during this “Bon Voyage” event a special blessing by Reverend Jo Judson, Rector of the Lower Windrush Benefice, will be given.
Standing with Giants began in 2019 through the efforts of husband-and-wife duo Dan and Janette Barton. Their mission is to make sure we do not forget the sacrifice that those who came before us made, through heartfelt and artistic interventions. This current installation has been displayed at the British Normandy Memorial and Stowe Landscape Gardens (National Trust) and Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson over the last 2 years.
New designs for this display will be unveiled for the first time in the UK on its return, as personal detail and history is brought even more to the fore with figures showing Beach Masters, Dog Handlers, Royal Navy Officers, Tank Crew, Merchant Navy personnel and Royal Engineers.
Additional silhouettes will also be seen for the first time representing British Commando Frogmen and personnel serving with the Royal Army. And 50 French Resistance fighters will be added, acknowledging the vital role of French civilians in the liberation of their country and European freedom.
Amid the peaceful gardens and grounds of Waddesdon Manor, this display is a timely reminder that we can never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the lives we all live today.
Dan Barton, Founder of Standing with Giants, said: “Standing with Giants is incredibly proud to be bringing our D Day inspired installation to Waddesdon. It is especially meaningful for us to return here, following our WW1 Remembrance displays at Spring Hill and the Walk of Remembrance in 2021 and 2022.
“There is something very special about this setting and the way visitors engage so thoughtfully with the work. This installation honours the courage and sacrifice of those who served on D Day, and as we mark 82 years since 6 June 1944, we hope it offers a powerful space for reflection.
“Each figure represents an individual story within a moment that changed the course of history. Our aim is always the same, to humanise the scale of loss and ensure that remembrance remains personal, relevant and alive for future generations.”
ENDS
