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Knitted soldier army marches into city's minster

BBC A woman in a yellow coat is stood next to a man in a striped jumper with a dark-coloured coat over the top. The pair are stood by a clear box which contains several rows of knitted, miniature World War Two soldiers.BBC
Janet Roberts, who helped create some of the exhibition's soldiers, urged people not to miss the exhibition while it is in Stoke

A 3D woollen exhibit telling the story of the D-Day landings has gone on display.

The Longest Yarn tells the story of when allied troops attacked German forces on the coast of northern France, on 6 June 1944.

It comprises 80 woollen scenes with each one depicting an individual moment from the invasion and was created by more than 180 knitters from across the world. It was the idea of Tansy Forster, who wanted to commemorate the 80th anniversary.

The display will be at Stoke Minster until 5 December, before continuing its tour of the UK, Europe and later the USA.

A knitted scene from the D-Day landings, using various shades of green wool, is inside a clear box.
The woollen exhibit was described by organisers as a “modern Bayeux Tapestry”

Freddie Scragg, from Trentham, was one of the first visitors to the exhibition.

It was a good way to display social history, he said, and added it reminded him of stories his dad used to tell him of his grandfather, who fought in World War Two.

Three clear boxes, side by side, each contain an individual scene of war - with soldiers depicted one alongside a casino building in another and a rural village scene the other.
The scenes depicted are taken from original photos of the time

Janet Roberts, who helped create some of the knitted soldiers for the scenes, said she knew how much detail had gone into them.

Putting all the pieces together had taken hours, she said.

“It’s amazing, you can’t miss it. If you’re a knitter you can’t miss it.”

The Longest Yarn was created with guidance from historians to ensure accuracy, and some scenes depict real veterans.

Two lines of clear boxes can be seen, with white labels on top to explain the scenes in each. There are various scenes depicting World War Two battles - with soldiers, tanks, beaches and trenches all depicted in wool.
The display will be at Stoke Minster until 5 December

The scenes depicted are taken from original photos of the time, or from the film “Le Jour Le Plus Long” (The Longest Day), which helped inspire the name of the project.

“It is an amazing way to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and great way to bring people into the heart of Stoke,” said Paul Adams, parish warden for Stoke Minster.

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