The Abandoned Soldier at Croft 2017

On the 21st October the curtain closed over the MSA British Rallycross Championship 2017 at Croft Circuit. The last round seen the MB Motorsport boys supporting a good friend and an exceptional author, Mark Christmas, by displaying his logo of the book 'The Abandoned Soldier' on the side of the Super 1600 Citroen C2s.

The "Abandoned Soldier" (TAS) statue, modeled on the face of a British ex-soldier Daniel Twiddy, was originally created for a 2007 BBC TV program made by journalist Tim Samuels. This was part of a 3-part series 'Power to the People', which aimed to give a voice to various disenfranchised groups. The program "The Battle of Trafalgar Square" saw a "platoon" of ex-servicemen, many with shocking and moving stories to tell, install the striking sculpture in front of Nelson's Column. After the program, TAS made an appearance on Newsnight and the front page of the Independent newspaper. TAS was found a home at Combat Stress's Tyrwhitt House, but this was short-lived and TAS returned to James Napier's London Art Studio where it remained until plans to find it a permanent home and raise awareness were re-ignited, when Welsh ex service man and Poet Mark Christmas approached James to ask if he could use the image for his book of poetry, also called The Abandoned Soldier.

The book is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Abandoned-Soldier-Reflections-War/dp/1906236364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509117681&sr=8-1&keywords=the+abandoned+soldier