A HUSBAND in Bebington decided to create a wooden soldier statue outside his home for his wife after she suffered a stroke and couldn’t go to a cenotaph.

Ken and Maria Sessford, born in Birkenhead and Rock Ferry, were both born during the Second World War.

The parents-of-three have lived in Wirral all of their life.

A couple of months ago, Maria suffered a stroke which has meant she has been unable to visit a cenotaph as she usually does each year.

Speaking to the Globe, Ken said: “I created the generic ‘Tommy’ statue which was the name given to British soldiers.

“I have quite a big workshop and I thought this year, because my wife suffered a stroke a couple of months back and couldn’t go to the cenotaph, that I would bring a bit of it here.”

The wooden statue took him just a day to create, painting it black once it was cut out.

He added: “I put it on the side of our house. The road we’re on is used as a cut-through to some schools so quite a few people have seen it and taken pictures.

“It’s had quite a good response.”

Wirral Globe: Ken and Maria's youngest child, Vicky Sessford, 49, with the statueKen and Maria's youngest child, Vicky Sessford, 49, with the statue (Image: Vicky Sessford)

Created for Maria, Ken told the Globe about her reaction to the ‘Tommy’ statue and their thoughts about the special time in history.

He said: “She absolutely loves it.

“I was born in 1944 and my wife was born in 1942 so it’s always stuck at the back of our minds, even though we don’t remember it.

“We remember a lot after the war and it’s all about the memories and that’s what the soldier is about.”