Carving inscriptions and unit badges on CWGC gravestones

[Moonraker]

Googling produces very little of help, save the the arguably ungrammatical observation on Wikipedia that "carving of headstones by hand would take a week".

But this must have been how it was once done, and it must have taken a large number of skilled craftsmen to do the work after the two world wars.

I'm thinking in particular of the small, ornate unit badges that are at the top of most stones. Chiseling one of these must have taken almost as much time as the comparatively straightforward carving of letters.

Perhaps today technology has taken over and there's some sort of computerised machine that does the work?

Moonraker

[Doug504]

On 08/12/2013 at 01:59, Moonraker said:

Googling produces very little of help, save the the arguably ungrammatical observation on Wikipedia that "carving of headstones by hand would take a week".

But this must have been how it was once done, and it must have taken a large number of skilled craftsmen to do the work after the two world wars.

I'm thinking in particular of the small, ornate unit badges that are at the top of most stones. Chiseling one of these must have taken almost as much time as the comparatively straightforward carving of letters.

Perhaps today technology has taken over and there's some sort of computerised machine that does the work?

 

 

Moonraker

New or replacement headstones are now carved automatically. However, restoration of headstones is still done largely by hand..

Doug

[Moonraker]

Doug

Very interesting, thanks. I should have explored the CWGC website more carefully.

I note: "The majority of headstones are engraved at our French workshop outside Arras. A skilled technician using a machine called an Incisograph can engrave up to 10 headstones a day."

Obviously the location of the workshop in Arras makes good sense, but no doubt there is local provision outside Western Europe.

I wonder how the Incisograph's productivity compares with the inscribing being done by hand?

Moonraker

[NigelS]

Moonraker,

A couple of previous threads which mention the use of pantograph machines for automating, at least to some degree, the initial marking up of batches of headstones may be of interest:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20937#entry163635

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=174928#entry1701104

NigelS

[Scalyback]

Apparently a Lancashire firm invented the pantograph machine that could trace the patterns of regimental badges. This allowed the company to do approx 50,000 grave stones in five years.

The new machine is called an Incisograph. It can do ten headstones a day, the pantograph could manage three a day. Both still had to have a mason on hand to finish the more complicated carving. So comparison for you there.

[stephen binks]

I met Michael Dias who is responsible for the production of CWGC headstones throughout the world. He told me that production with the new computerised machines enabled them to produce 22,000 headstones last year! All headstones are now engraved at Beaurains, Arras and shipped from there around the world

Steve

[1RGLI]

Is there no book on this wonderful work on CWGC Headstones, the sheer number of badges must be mind boggling. I'd buy a book on the subject if they did a comprehensive one, materials used sharing of headstones, clipped convex headstones, etc etc. We know so little on the subject, but the CWGC must know an awful lot, they are missing a good sales marketing and a good book here.

Mark.

[NigelS]

The latest CWGC newsletter  (March 2019) Click gives details & pictures of some wooden templates used, in conjunction with a hand-guided pantograph machine, to trace and carve the iconic unit badge designs onto  headstones before  computer controlled engraving  was introduced.  Apparently, five templates ( Lincolnshire, Border, Argyll and Sutherland, Rifle Brigade, and the East Yorkshire regiments)  which were retained by a director of  Kingston Masonry when it closed in the 1990s have now been donated to the CWGC's archive.

 

NigelS