Princes St, Edinburgh EH2 3AP
This monument is a tribute from men and women of Scottish descent and sympathies in the United States of America to the Scottish effort and sacrifice in the Great War. It was designed and produced in the USA. A lone kilted soldier sits, rifle on his knees, gazing expectantly towards the coming conflict. Behind him, the bias relief frieze shows a pipe band leading a battalion of kilted troops, who are followed by a large group of Scots from many walks of life. This is a symbolic response to the call to arms, and the scene represents a cross-section of Scottish manhood in 1914.
The monument is the work of R. Tait McKenzie from Philadelphia, and was executed between 1923 and 1927. The sculpture was cast at the Roman Bronze Works in Brooklyn, New York. The architectural concept is by Reginald Fairlie, who went on to design the National Library of Scotland. Finally, the stone-carved motto employs the words of Ewart Mackintosh (who was killed in the Great War):
If it be life that waits, I shall live forever unconquered;
If death, I shall die at last strong in my pride, and free.
Sentiments do not come any nobler than that.
Sources:
- ‘A Creed’ by Ewart Mackintosh
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.