Freddie Gilroy and the Belsen Stragglers is a significant steel sculpture by Ray Lonsdale, situated on the Royal Albert Drive promenade with views of North Bay in Scarborough.
The Sculpture portrays Freddie Gilroy (1921–2008), a retired miner and former soldier from South Hetton, seated on a bench in his later years.
Significance: Gilroy was one of the first British soldiers to liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945.
The statue acts as both a personal homage and a broader memorial to the "ordinary people" who faced danger during the World Wars.
Made from weathering Corten steel, the sculpture stands at roughly 3.5 metres (11 feet) tall, approximately twice life-size.
Its textured, rusted surface is intended to suggest the passage of time and exposure to the environment.
Initially meant for a four-week loan in 2011, it became a permanent installation after local resident Maureen Robinson contributed between £48,000 and £50,000 to buy it for the town.