There were 6 secondary schools involved and public opinion was sought at an exhibition, the top designs were then presented to a panel and the winning design came from Hillview school.

'The Torch' was designed by Ellie Baxter, the mosaic invicta horse came from Nicole Smiths design and the plinth design was influenced by Kasey Trow from Hugh Christie Technology College.

‘The Torch’ is the result of an initiative to engage schools and the public in creating a contemporary  sculpture that reflects an emotional response  to those men of Tonbridge who lost their lives in the First World War.

Local schools were invited to participate in putting forward designs for the sculpture. Out of around 200 designs 18 students were selected to develop the idea into maquette form, these pieces went on public display at Tonbridge Castle and a combination of ideas went forward to be created full size.

Ellie Baxter from Hillview School designed the Poppy, which became known as ‘THE TORCH’ , is the main body of the piece. The poppy pierced by shards of metal is powerful both visually and conceptually, the five shards are an abstracted hand that both holds the poppy high and creates a sense of fortification.Kasey Trow from Hugh Christie inspired a narrated base, including often forgotten images of war: Horses hoofs, dog and

pigeon prints sit beside barbed wire,tank track, bullets, ID tags and boot prints, creating a snap shot of a battlefield. Also included in the poppy mosaic is an Invicta horse representing Kent, inspired by a design from Nicole Smith also from Hillview.

Sculptor Guy Portelli has been involved with giving creative and technical support throughout the development of the sculpture. Working closely with Whitton Foundry and Goodlands Engineering, Guy has scaled the sculpture to the finished proportions; it is made of bronze with glass mosaic reflecting the light.  The sculpture has been conceived as an educational project that embraces a new generation in the development of the memorial gardens.

 In an aesthetic sense ‘The Torch’  balances the garden lay out , the Poppy shape reflecting  the Laurel pattern in the memorial wall, which shows the names of all those who have lost their lives in all the wars over the last 100 years.

Thanks must go to Pam Mills the youth officer for the Royal British Legion for having the vision and determination to bring the funding, research and belief to make this project happen.

The project was embraced by the Trustees of the garden who embarked on a separate fundraising scheme to redevelop the gardens to what you see today.