Norman Sillman

They were in action at most of the major engagements: Isernia, the Sangro, Monte Cassino, the Gothic Line and the hills before Bologna for the final winter before the advance to Trieste.

[clarification needed] Sillman described his service as "not all excitement, a lot of the time both sides sat staring at each other until someone started shelling".

[3] He received home leave in September 1945 and married Gillian Drake (1921–2007) who was serving with the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

Before demobilisation in December 1946 he spent three months at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence under the Army Education Scheme.

He spent a considerable amount of time drawing at the London Zoo, as the basis for animal sculptures.

During these freelance years he worked in wood, stone, terracotta and clay for bronze and ciment fondu.

For Britain he designed the Scottish Commonwealth Games £2 piece and the four most recent £1 coin reverses.

He retired from Trent Polytechnic in 1983 and moved from Collingham, Nottinghamshire to Eye, Suffolk, where he continued to design coins, medals and other sculpture.