Scottish National War Memorial

Last updated

Scottish National War Memorial, rear elevation. The two niche statues are (left to right) 'Charity' and 'Truth'. The relief carving 'The Calling of St Andrew' by Alice Meredith-Williams sits above the centre window. Edinburgh Castle, Scottish National War Memorial rear.jpg
Scottish National War Memorial, rear elevation. The two niche statues are (left to right) 'Charity' and 'Truth'. The relief carving 'The Calling of St Andrew' by Alice Meredith-Williams sits above the centre window.
The entrance and facade of the Scottish National War Memorial. The five niche statues are (left to right) 'Courage', 'Peace', 'Survival of the Spirit' (above the porch), 'Mercy' and 'Justice'. Facade of the Scottish National War Memorial, Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, UK.jpg
The entrance and façade of the Scottish National War Memorial. The five niche statues are (left to right) 'Courage', 'Peace', 'Survival of the Spirit' (above the porch), 'Mercy' and 'Justice'.

The Scottish National War Memorial is located in Edinburgh Castle and commemorates Scottish service personnel and civilians, and those serving with Scottish regiments, who died in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts. Its chief architect was Robert Lorimer, commissioned in 1919, and the monument was formally opened in 1927. [1] It is housed in a redeveloped barrack block in Crown Square, at the heart of the castle, and incorporates numerous monuments.

Contents

The Rolls of Honour kept in the memorial include the names of those Scots servicemen and women and Scots civilians that died in all wars after 1914. [2] This includes all Scots who were killed as a result of enemy action or who died as a result of wounds, diseases, or injuries while serving in the British Armed Forces, the Merchant Navy, the armed forces of the Dominions, the women's services, and the nursing services, together with all members of Scottish regiments. [2] The Rolls of Honour include those who died between 4 August 1914 and 31 August 1921 as having died in the First World War and those between 3 September 1939 and 31 December 1947 as having died in the Second World War. [2] Those not serving in the Scottish regiments must either have been born in Scotland or have at least one parent born in the country. [2] [1]

The memorial rolls list close to 135,000 casualties of the First World War and over 50,000 of the Second World War. [1] More casualties from later wars are also inscribed, including from the Malayan Emergency, the Korean War (1950–1953), Operation Banner (1969–2007) during The Troubles, the Falklands War (1982), and the Gulf War (1990–1991). [1] Most recently casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan have been added to the Rolls of Honour.

The steel casket containing the original Rolls of Honour with over 147,000 names, installed at the opening ceremony in 1927. It was a gift from the King and Queen Casket, Scottish National War Memorial, Edinburgh Castle.JPG
The steel casket containing the original Rolls of Honour with over 147,000 names, installed at the opening ceremony in 1927. It was a gift from the King and Queen
Sentry in a sentry box and the heraldic lion from the royal arms with its Union Jack shield by Phyllis Bone Soldier, Edinburgh Castle - geograph.org.uk - 670531.jpg
Sentry in a sentry box and the heraldic lion from the royal arms with its Union Jack shield by Phyllis Bone

Development

Proposals for a Scottish National War Memorial were put forward in 1917, during the First World War, by John Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl, and Captain George Swinton of Kimmerghame. Sir Robert Lorimer, the architect of the Order of the Thistle's Thistle Chapel in St Giles' Cathedral [1] and one of the architects involved in the Imperial War Graves Commission, [3] was appointed in 1919, but opposition to a large-scale monument arose from the Cockburn Association and others concerned with the castle's heritage. A more modest scheme to remodel the North Barrack Block was finally agreed in 1923, and the memorial was formally opened on 14 July 1927 by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII). [4] After the Second World War, 50,000 names were added to the rolls of honour. Names continue to be added from successive conflicts, though the memorial itself has been left unchanged. [4]

The Memorial

The exterior of the building is decorated with gargoyles and sculpture by Pilkington Jackson, John Marshall [5] and Phyllis Bone, [6] whilst the interior contains elaborate wall monuments commemorating individual regiments. The stained-glass windows are by Douglas Strachan. [7] The original aim behind the Memorial was to commemorate Scots and those serving with Scottish regiments who had died in the First World War, from the declaration of war on 4 August 1914 to the Treaty of Versailles of 28 June 1919 (confirmed military suicides and those tried and executed excepted). Upon the altar within the Shrine, placed on the highest part of the Castle Rock emerging through the floor, stands a sealed casket containing the Rolls of Honour listing over 147,000 names of those soldiers killed in the First World War together with open lists within the Hall. [8] After the Second World War the limiting dates were modified, with another 50,000 names inscribed on the Rolls of Honour within the Hall, and with further names continuing to be added there. [4] The memorial is maintained by a charitable trust known as the Scottish National War Memorial. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bannockburn</span> 1314 battle during the First War of Scottish Independence

The Battle of Bannockburn was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Robert Bruce and formed a major turning point in the war, which ended 14 years later with the de jure restoration of Scottish independence under the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton. For this reason, the Battle of Bannockburn is widely considered a landmark moment in Scottish history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh Castle</span> Historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since at least the reign of Malcolm III in the 11th century, and the castle continued to be a royal residence until 1633. From the 15th century, the castle's residential role declined, and by the 17th century it was principally used as a military garrison. Its importance as a part of Scotland's national heritage was recognised increasingly from the early 19th century onwards, and various restoration programmes have been carried out over the past century and a half.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War memorial</span> Type of memorial

A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Giles' Cathedral</span> Church in Edinburgh, Scotland

St Giles' Cathedral, or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the addition of the Thistle Chapel. St Giles' is closely associated with many events and figures in Scottish history, including John Knox, who served as the church's minister after the Scottish Reformation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalbeattie</span> Town in Dumfries and Galloway

Dalbeattie is a town in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Dalbeattie is in a wooded valley on the Urr Water 4 miles (6 km) east of Castle Douglas and 12 miles (19 km) south west of Dumfries. The town is famed for its granite industry and for being the home town of William McMaster Murdoch, the First Officer of the RMS Titanic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Angus (VC)</span> Scottish Victoria Cross recipient (1888-1959)

William Angus VC, also known as Willie Angus, was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princes Street Gardens</span> Park in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Princes Street Gardens are two adjacent public parks in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, beginning in the 1760s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paisley Abbey</span> Church in Paisley, Scotland

Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about 7 miles west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, based on a former Cluniac monastery. Following the Reformation in the 16th century, it became a Church of Scotland parish kirk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Lorimer</span> Scottish architect (1864–1929)

Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Gothic Revival styles, and for promotion of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Alexander Carrick was a Scottish sculptor. He was one of Scotland's leading monumental sculptors of the early part of the 20th century. He was responsible for many architectural and ecclesiastical works as well as many war memorials executed in the period following World War I. As head of sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art, and as a leading member of the Royal Scottish Academy, Carrick had a lasting influence on Scottish sculpture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Birnie Rhind</span> Scottish sculptor

William Birnie Rhind RSA (1853–1933) was a Scottish sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Andrew's Garrison Church, Aldershot</span>

St Andrew's Garrison Church, situated at Queens Avenue, Aldershot, Hampshire in southern England is a large army church designed in the late 1920s by the prominent Scottish architect Sir Robert Lorimer (1864–1929).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish war memorials</span> Review of the topic

Scottish war memorials are found in all communities in Scotland. They are found on most main streets and most churches in Scotland. Many commemorate the sacrifice of the First World War but there are many others to wars before and since 1914–1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish American Memorial</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth Naval Memorial</span>

The Plymouth Naval Memorial is a war memorial in Plymouth, Devon, England which is dedicated to British and Commonwealth sailors who were lost in World War I and World War II with no known grave.

Charles d’Orville Pilkington Jackson RSA, FRBS, FRSA was a British sculptor prominent in Scotland in the 20th century. Throughout his career he worked closely with the architect Sir Robert Lorimer. He is most noteworthy for his creation of one of Scotland's most iconic landmarks, the statue of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn.

John Marshall (1888–1952) was a Scottish sculptor active in the early 20th century. He is noted for doing much of his architectural work in-situ, on the face of the buildings.

Phyllis Mary Bone RSA was a 20th-century Scottish sculptor. She has the particular claim to fame as being the first female Academician of the Royal Scottish Academy. Although primarily the creator of small figurines, her works include several commissions at national level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thistle Chapel</span> Chapel in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Thistle Chapel, located in St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, is the chapel of the Order of the Thistle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Smith Richardson</span> Scottish architect, antiquarian and archaeologist

James Smith Richardson (1883–1970) was a Scottish architect, antiquarian and archaeologist. He was the first Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Scotland, and was responsible for a series of popular guidebooks to monuments in public care.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "History". Scottish National War Memorial. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "FAQ". Scottish National War Memorial. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  3. Hussey, 1931; Dictionary of National Biography, 1937
  4. 1 2 3 Henderson, Diana M. "History of the Scottish National War Memorial". Scottish National War Memorial. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
  5. "John Marshall (1888–1952)". Glasgow Sculpture. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  6. "Phyllis Bone's Sculptures". The Natural History Collections. The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  7. McWilliam et al, pp. 99–100
  8. "Scottish National War Memorial". UK National Inventory of War Memorials. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  9. "Scottish National War Memorial, SC009869". Scottish Charity Register. Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator . Retrieved 25 July 2011.

Sources

55°56′55″N3°11′59″W / 55.9485°N 3.1997°W / 55.9485; -3.1997