A bid to replace a marble statue of a soldier missing from a war memorial for 50 years has been launched.
Volunteers from the Jacksdale and Westwood Heritage Group are to stage a fundraising event to put a soldier back on the Jacksdale and Westwood war memorial.
The Our Soldier project has been set up by the group to raise £50,000 to replace the 6ft s
tatue which has been missing since 1959 when it was found in pieces on the floor next to the memorial in Main Street in the village.
The group will hold a heritage day on Saturday, October 25, to raise funds to replace the statue with a resculptured model which will resemble the original statue as close as possible. It will be made by a firm in Gloucester who will also transport the statue and erect it.
Jeff North, project manager for the group which was set up two years ago, said: "This is our first event and the start of our fundraising campaign.
"There are two theories about what happened to the soldier. The first is that it was pushed over in the night and the second is that the chemicals in the air from a nearby ironworks caused the marble to deteriorate and the wind blew him down. The village awoke to find he was in bits."
The group has already found the £40,000 needed to replace the statue and needs a further £10,000 to pay for the restoration of the area surrounding it. The soldier will be erected as soon as planning permission is granted by Amber Valley Borough Council. An application has been submitted to the borough council.
Mr North said: "The memorial in our village is unique as it not only honours the fallen but those who served from the Notts/Derbyshire area around the village. We are nearing completion of this massive project within the next six months."
The memorial contains the names of soldiers from the area killed in the First and Second World Wars.
The heritage day will be at Jacksdale Community Centre between 10am and 4pm.
