Toast soldiers march on London's Artillery Museum

Egg brand Eggs For Soldiers created the toast troops to mark March Fourth, a fundraising day for Help for Heroes

One thousand soldiers go on display today at London’s Royal Artillery Museum, although space is unlikely to be a problem as these figures measure only 12 centimetres high and are made entirely from toast.

The "Toast-A-Cutter Army" was inspired by the famous Chinese Terracotta Army, made using bespoke toast-cutters it took a team of five designers more than sixteen hours to painstakingly create and assemble the miniature force, complete with bed roll, distinctive British Army helmet and combat clothing.

Designed by charity egg brand Eggs For Soldiers to mark March Fourth, its annual fundraising event in support of Help for Heroes, the campaign has raised almost £1m for the charity so far, donating 15p from every box of six eggs sold.

A selection of the figures, created from nearly 80 loaves of stale bread, will be exhibited at 'Firepower' The Royal Artillary Museum for the public to view for six weeks from 10 March. 

The brand manager at Eggs For Soldiers Caroline Beatty said: "We're very proud to support Help for Heroes. Our Toast-A-Cutter Army at the Royal Artillery Museum brings to life the very essence of Eggs For Soldiers in a light-hearted way but it has a serious message at its heart."

The perfect shape for dipping into eggs, 1,500 of the toast soldiers will be given away to the public through a competition on their Facebook page here.  

Help for Heroes was founded in 2007, quickly catching the public imagination and helping thousands of injured servicemen and woman.