Women at War
Honouring the women whose courage helped shape history
For years, Standing with Giants had an ambition to create an installation dedicated entirely to the women whose service, courage and sacrifice during the Second World War were so often overlooked.
That ambition became a reality at the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincoln with Women at War, a permanent installation telling the stories of ten remarkable women.
Created in collaboration with the IBCC, the installation surrounds the iconic Spire, inviting visitors to walk among the figures, discover the women behind them and reflect on the extraordinary roles they played during wartime.
Dorothy Field Molly Evershed
Ten women, ten remarkable stories
Women served in countless roles during the Second World War, on the front line, in hospitals, operations rooms, intelligence, communications and supporting the forces at home and overseas.
Women at War brings some of those stories into the landscape.
Among the Giants are nurses Molly Evershed and Dorothy Field, whose courage is also commemorated within our installation at the British Normandy Memorial.
In the lead up to D Day, Molly and Dorothy were serving aboard the hospital ship SS Amsterdam, helping to care for wounded servicemen. When the ship struck a mine, they continued helping others despite the danger, ultimately losing their own lives. Their actions helped save many of the wounded men aboard.
Another of the women represented is Margaret Hourigan, who served as a volunteer plotter with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Working with radar information and maps, plotters helped track and guide aircraft, an absolutely critical role in Britain’s air defence.
At the launch, we were incredibly honoured to welcome Margaret’s son, David Hourigan, who travelled all the way from Australia to stand alongside his mother’s Giant.
Joan Curran • Dorothy Robson • Lettice Curtis • Margaret Hourigan
Renee Woods • Stella Charnaud • Madeleine Damerment • Muriel Blake
Creating the Giants
Each figure has been carefully designed by Standing with Giants and precision laser cut from 12mm steel, creating a permanent tribute capable of standing outdoors for generations.
The figures were transported to Lincoln and installed by our Standing with Giants team in collaboration with the IBCC.
Positioned around the Spire, the Giants can be experienced from different directions. As you move through the site, individual figures and stories gradually reveal themselves, turning the landscape into a place for discovery as well as remembrance.
A historic launch
Women at War was officially unveiled in March 2025, with an extraordinary moment marking the occasion, the Royal Air Force's first all female flypast.
The launch brought together women from military, business and charitable leadership, including Air Vice Marshal Suraya Marshall CBE, Lisa Giles of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, Cressida Hogg of BAE Systems and Olga Polizzi of Rocco Forte Hotels, alongside members of the RAF flypast crew.
For us, seeing today's generation of women serving in the RAF flying above Giants representing women who served more than 80 years earlier was incredibly poignant.
Keeping their stories alive
Women at War isn't simply about ten steel figures.
It's about the real women behind them.
Women who stepped forward. Women who served. Women who saved lives. Women who took on demanding and vital responsibilities at a time of enormous uncertainty, and whose contribution hasn't always received the recognition it deserves.
That's exactly why we created this installation.
Since its unveiling, Women at War has become part of the visitor experience at the International Bomber Command Centre, encouraging people to stop, look a little closer and discover stories they might never have encountered before.
If you're visiting Lincoln, we warmly encourage you to visit the International Bomber Command Centre, walk among our Women at War Giants and discover the extraordinary women they represent.