Future of Yomper statue secured thanks to fundraising drive

The future of a statue that commemorates the sacrifices and determination of the Royal Marines in the Falklands War has been secured thanks to a fundraising campaign.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) had launched the appeal to raise funds to conserve the Yomper statue which is located outside the former Royal Marines’ Eastney Barracks on Southsea seafront in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

It had initially sought to raise £9,000 to cover the cost of five years of protection including treatments to guard against bronze disease.

But following donations of more than £20,000 from members of the public, Lockheed Martin and Portsmouth City Council and match-funding from the Reed foundation, the NMRN has said it can conserve the statue for at least a decade.

Chief executive Matthew Sheldon said: “Supporters have secured the Yomper’s future and for that I’m incredibly grateful.

“We set out to fund five years of vital conservation work, and the response has doubled that.

“The campaign to save the Yomper is just one part of NMRN’s commitment to tell the story of the Royal Marines, and sits proudly alongside our commitment to open the new Royal Marines Experience as part of the Reimagination of Boathouse 6 project next summer.

“The success of this fundraising campaign – led from Portsmouth, but connecting across the whole country – is a powerful reminder of how strongly people feel about supporting the Royal Marines.”

The 18-foot bronze statue, known as The Yomper, was created by sculptor Philip Jackson and first unveiled in 1992.

It is based on a famous photograph taken by Petty Officer Pete Holdgate of Royal Marines Corporal Peter Robinson of 45 Commando as he hiked – or yomped – across East Falkland.

The photograph taken on June 14 1982, which showed Cpl Robinson heading towards Port Stanley with a Union flag flying from his radio aerial, became a famous image of the war, symbolising the determination of the British troops.