The Cameronians War Memorial is a war memorial in

Kelvingrove Park Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. History Kelvingrove Park was originally created as the West End Park in 1852, and ...

in the west of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, to the north of

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. It reopened in 2006 after a three-year refurbishment and since then has been one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions. The museum has 22 galleries, h ...

. It commemorates the service of the

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Reg ...

regiment in the First and Second World Wars. The memorial includes a bronze sculpture representing a machine gun emplacement, with three human figures. It became a Category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1988.

Background

The sculpture was designed by

Philip Lindsey Clark Philip Lindsey Clark (1889–1977) was an English sculptor. Background Philip Lindsey Clark was born in London. His father was the sculptor Robert Lindsey Clark. He worked with his father at the Cheltenham School of Art from 1905 to 1910 an ...

. He had enlisted as a private in the

Artists' Rifles The 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), historically known as The Artists Rifles is a regiment of the Army Reserve. Its name is abbreviated to 21 SAS(R). Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regimen ...

in 1914, and was commissioned in the 11th (Service) (1st South Down) Battalion of the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot ...

in 1916, ending the war as a captain with a DSO.

Description

The memorial includes a bronze statue with three cast figures of soldiers, slightly larger than life size, cast by the Manenti foundry in London. From right to left, the three figures are: one in a trench firing his Lewis machine gun, while a sergeant to his right advances holding a rifle, and further right an officer lies wounded. The advancing sergeant symbolises victory and may be modelled on Cameronian Pipe Major Jimmy Sanderson, while the wounded officer represents sacrifice. The sculpture now stands on a rectangular grey granite plinth, on a slightly larger base, raised on three steps, enclosed by hedges and a wrought iron fence. Three plaques on the main west front bear the inscriptions, from the top: "TO THE GLORIOUS MEMORY OF ALL RANKS / THE CAMERONIANS (SCOTTISH RIFLES) WHO, / TO UPHOLD LIBERTY AND JUSTICE IN THE WORLD, / LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE TWO WORLD WARS 1914 – 1918 AND 1939 – 1945", then: "THE 6/7TH BATTALION, CAMERONIANS (SCOTTISH RIFLES) / WAS DISBANDED ON THE 31ST MARCH 1967 / AND THE 1ST REGULAR BATTALION ON THE 14TH MAY 1968 / THUS ENDING THE REGIMENT'S LONG MILITARY ASSOCIATION / WITH THE CITY OF GLASGOW", and finally: "THIS PLAQUE WAS UNVEILED BY / THE LORD PROVOST OF GLASGOW / THE RT. HON. JOHN JOHNSTON". A plaque to the south side reads "O VALIANT HEARTS, WHO TO YOUR GLORY CAME / THROUGH DUST OF CONFLICT AND THRO' BATTLE FLAME / TRANQUIL YOU LIE. YOUR KNIGHTLY VIRTUE PROVED / YOUR MEMORY HALLOWED IN THE LAND YOU LOVED", and one on the north side reads "BE THOU FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH AND I / WILL GIVE THEE A CROWN OF LIFE". A further plaque to the rear of the memorial lists the theatres of war in which the battalions of the regiment served. The memorial was unveiled by

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Sir Douglas Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...

, who had been the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, on 9 August 1924, five days after the tenth anniversary of the outbreak of the war. A plaque for the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

was added in 1947. The original sandstone plinth weathered badly and was replaced with a similar style in granite in 1958. Another plaque was added after the regiment was disbanded in 1968. The memorial became a Category B listed building in 1988, and it was restored in 2009.

Other memorials

Another Cameronians memorial in

Douglas, South Lanarkshire Douglas ( gd, Dùbhghlas) is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on the south bank of the Douglas Water and on the A70 road that links Ayr, on the West coast of Scotland, to Edinburgh on the East, around 12 miles south west of ...

was built in 1892 to commemorate the bicentenary of the raising of the Cameronian Regiment (

26th Regiment of Foot The 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the Scots Army and subsequently a Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army, active from 1689 to 1881. Although the regiment took the name of its first colonel as James Dougla ...

) on 14 May 1689. It depicts the regiment's first Colonel,

James Douglas, Earl of Angus James Douglas, Earl of Angus (1671 – 3 August 1692) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. He was born at Douglas Castle, Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The son of James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas and his first wife Lady Barbara Erskine, e ...

. Another memorial on the Douglas Estate commemorates the disbanding of the 1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) on 14 May 1968. Clark created a similar sculpture of an advancing infantryman for his

Southwark War Memorial St Saviour's War Memorial is a war memorial on Borough High Street, in the former parish of Southwark St Saviour, to south of the River Thames in London. It became a Grade II listed building in 1998 and was upgraded to Grade II* in 2018. The m ...

, unveiled in 1922, with the rifle slung over his left shoulder rather than held in his right hand. A similar sculpture of an infantryman with rifle was used by

Albert Toft Albert Toft (3 June 1862 – 18 December 1949) was a British Sculpture, sculptor. Toft's career was dominated by public commemorative commissions in bronze, mostly single statues of military or royal figures. The Diamond Jubilee of Queen V ...

for the

Royal Fusiliers War Memorial The Royal Fusiliers War Memorial is a memorial in London, dedicated to the members of the Royal Fusiliers killed in the World Wars, Russian Civil War and subsequent conflicts, along with members of a number of London Regiment battalions kille ...

in Holborn. File:War Memorial, Glasgow West End - DSC06209.JPG File:War memorial to all ranks of Cameronians.jpg

References

Kelvingrove Park at Dumbarton Road, Cameronians Monument
Historic Scotland

roll-of-honour.com
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Imperial War Museum

* ttp://clydeside-images.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-cameronians-regimental-memorials-in.html#!/2013/02/the-cameronians-regimental-memorials-in.html The Cameronians Regimental Memorials in Douglas The Scottish Military Research Group * http://www.cameronians.org/
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) War Memorial
Glasgow – City of Sculpture {{coord, 55.86939, -4.29220, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1924 Category B listed buildings in Glasgow Monuments and memorials in Glasgow World War I memorials in Scotland World War II memorials in Scotland 1924 establishments in Scotland Listed monuments and memorials in Scotland