William Francis Beattie R.F.A. MC (23 November 1886 – 3 October 1918) was a Scottish sculptor killed in the closing weeks of the First World War. His most famous work is the 1514 Memorial in Hawick: a memorial to Hawick Callants killed in a skirmish at Hornshole in the aftermath battle following the Battle of Flodden.

Life

He was born in Hawick on 23 November 1886, the son of Annie Kate McMann and Thomas Beattie (1861–1933), a local sculptor, whose most notable work includes the interior of the Usher Hall and the war memorial at Carnoustie. William’s grandfather had been a local pioneer of photography. William was educated at

George Watson’s College George Watson's College is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871, and was merge ...

and then the

Edinburgh School of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

. Around 1901 he began actively sculpting in Edinburgh, first working from a studio at 109 Haymarket Terrace, then in 1912 moving to the more prestigious Dean Studios on Belford Road. Whilst his work clearly is of great quality only one public work is known, it is therefore presumed that he specialised in figurative work as largely private commissions. In 1910 he joined the Territorial branch of the Lothian and Border Horse Regiment. As a territorial, he was immediately called into service at the onset of the First World War. He transferred as a Lieutenant to the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

and won the Military Cross from bravery in November 1917 for the rescue of two men from the battlefield during the Second Battle of Passchendaele. He was thereafter promoted to the rank of Major. He fought at the Battle of Loos, Ypres and the Somme and had at least suffered due to a one gas attack (in April 1918). He died of wounds at a field hospital near

Joncourt Joncourt () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It lies near the St. Quentin Canal. History On 1 October 1918 during World War I, a battle was fought there that was described by the Allied media at ...

on 3 October 1918, a few weeks before the end of the war, during the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

. He is buried in Tincourt New British Cemetery near Peronne, Somme (grave ref V J 27). His parents are noted as living at 41 Lothian Road in Edinburgh at the time of his death. He is memorialised on his parents grave in the north section of

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

in western Edinburgh.

Known works

*Grave of Charles Simson Rankine Simson,

1912 *The 1514 Memorial, Hawick This memorial was unveiled on 4 June 1914.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beattie, William Francis 1886 births 1918 deaths People educated at George Watson's College Scottish sculptors Scottish male sculptors Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Field Artillery officers British military personnel killed in World War I People from Hawick Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art British Army personnel of World War I Lothians and Border Horse soldiers