The RBLI installed an acoustic radar mirror ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
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00:00The port of Dover sees ships coming into its waters every day, but now it has a new arrival
00:05that it hasn't had built on its seafront for nearly a century.
00:09An acoustic sound mirror, but this one is designed to make people more aware of the
00:13struggles of veterans, rather than the sounds of planes.
00:16Back in World War II, these sound mirrors would have lined the south coast, all to detect
00:20the noise of incoming enemy aircraft, but this one takes on a different meaning.
00:25It's all to raise awareness and amplify the voices of veterans who need support the most.
00:30It was commissioned by the Royal British Legion Industries and launched on the anniversary
00:33of both Victory in Europe Day and the invention of radar.
00:37So we've been working on it for several months.
00:39Obviously VE Day 80 is coming up as a really important time.
00:44Potentially the last time we'll have a major anniversary with people that were still in
00:48combat and serving during World War II.
00:52So we've been working on it for quite a long time.
00:54As I say, Martin's worked with us before and he's come to us with this idea and we've
00:58worked to develop it together.
00:59The RBLI also say that in the last 12 months alone, they've seen a 45% increase in requests
01:05and referrals for emergency veteran accommodation.
01:08Former Chief of the General Staff and RBLI patron, Lord Dannet CBE, thinks the timing of the
01:12launch is vital because of the increase of referrals, but also with the state of current global affairs.
01:18And he isn't the only one.
01:19We've got to bear in mind this year, it's all the more important with that current threat
01:24from Russia on Ukraine.
01:26And I've just come back from Tallinn, where of course they're also on the front line of
01:30that threat.
01:31So it's so important people remember the importance of this.
01:35But also we reward and look after veterans who need us and donate to the RBLI and other charities
01:43to ensure that veterans are treated with dignity and listened to, which I think this is quite
01:49important being a radar, which of course assists with listening.
01:52For the installation, the RBLI commissioned the same artist that designed their Tommy logo.
01:57Well, I've always loved the acoustic mirrors that you can almost see either side of us
02:01here, two or three miles away from where we are now.
02:04These beautiful, steadfast, sentinel structures made of concrete.
02:08They weren't built as artworks, but to me they look like artworks.
02:12And I wanted to draw together the Tommy and the idea of listening and the amplification
02:19of ancient voices, you know, learning from the echoes of history.
02:24And by bringing a piece of Dover's past back into the present, Martin and the RBLI hope
02:29the structure will raise money and awareness that allows them to continue to house veterans
02:33and their families.
02:34Finn McDermid for CAME TV in Dover.