Matt Dixon Posted 18 January , 2004 Share Posted 18 January , 2004 I have noticed in the last few days, a couple of war memorials in the region that depict a Tommy very similar to the French Poilu statues. I have seen one in Lye on the way to Stourbridge and one in Sutton Coldfield. Are these more common than I suspect (bearing in mind these are the only two I have seen in the Uk)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 19 January , 2004 Share Posted 19 January , 2004 I have noticed in the last few days, a couple of war memorials in the region that depict a Tommy very similar to the French Poilu statues. Matt I do not know what you mean and since 43 have looked and 0 replied I think others do not. Can you explain and/or post a picture? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 19 January , 2004 Share Posted 19 January , 2004 I have noticed in the last few days, a couple of war memorials in the region that depict a Tommy very similar to the French Poilu statues. Matt I do not know what you mean and since 43 have looked and 0 replied I think others do not. Can you explain and/or post a picture? Thanks. You may mean a standing individual soldier, if so that is by far the most common memorial in the USA also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Dixon Posted 19 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 19 January , 2004 Apologies, maybe not the clearest post I've ever made. I do mean a standing individual soldier, wearing uniform and a helmet. The only other memorials I have seen of this type (uniformed soldier) are the Poilu statues I have seen in France. I have only seen two statues of soldiers in the UK, the ones I mentionned in the original I'm afraid I don't have any photos, the only way I can say is by looking at the cover of Coombs' "Before Endeavours Fade", and that's what I am talking about! Maybe that's clearer, but then again, probably not........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 19 January , 2004 Share Posted 19 January , 2004 Matt This may help: Sutton Coldfield War Memorial http://www.smilodon.plus.com/WarMems/suttoncoldfield.html I take it that you mean a standing (inactive) statue ie not in an active pose? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will O'Brien Posted 19 January , 2004 Share Posted 19 January , 2004 Matt..............Ah now I understand .............thanks to HP's link (I'm one of the 43 Paul mentions............I thought you meant memorials with soldiers dressed in French Uniform .... well I never said I was the brightest cookie).....................In answer to your question I can think of one off the top of my head..............Kendal in Cumbria..... quite an impressive memorial if my memory serves me right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 19 January , 2004 Share Posted 19 January , 2004 Local to me , I can think immediately of Oswaldtwistle and Haslingden, both in Lancashire, and Boer War ones in Bury and Manchester (my favourite!). Nelson has one slightly different memorial on similar lines(alongside a more run of the mill one) - this is a statue of a Boy Scout, commemmorating the 105 ,or so, Scouts from Nelson who had died. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted 19 January , 2004 Share Posted 19 January , 2004 There's one on a roundabout on the A71 near Hamilton where all the roads converge. I know cos I went round it three times from different directions till I found the right road. Aye Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownag Posted 22 January , 2004 Share Posted 22 January , 2004 There's one on a roundabout on the A71 near Hamilton where all the roads converge. Is that at Newmains Malcolm? I know the one you mean, it's a swine - especially when you're trying to look at the memorial! If memory serves me right the soldier has a flat cap on rather than a Tam O'Shanter which would indicate to me that many of the names on the memorial (and there seem to be a lot) are engineers rather than Scottish Rifles. There were a lot of mines around that part of Lanarkshire. I've always wanted to stop and have a closer look but it's in such a busy place I've not managed it yet. Maybe one of these days It will get moved since it must cause some headaches on Remembrance Sunday when all the roads will have to be closed. Cheers Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimCatherall Posted 23 January , 2004 Share Posted 23 January , 2004 There are a number in London - one in southwark, one in the city and the superb Heavy Artillery memorial at Hyde Park Corner (Charles Sargent Jagger). I also know of one in Cowbridge in Wales. I'm afraid I couldn't turn up any pictures on the internet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Maier Posted 23 January , 2004 Share Posted 23 January , 2004 Figurative sculpture costs a lot more than a plain cross or obelisk, so memorials with figures will be in a minority. They tend to be found in the larger communities simply because it was easier to raise enough money where there were the most people. Having said that, uniformed figures are not uncommon but they do not all conform to Matt’s ideal of a standing and helmeted individual. At Tunbridge Wells for example, the figure is hatless and challenging, with bayonet at the ready. At nearby Sevenoaks, the soldier is resting on his rifle but perhaps the more common pose is with rifle reversed and head bowed in mourning. I made a couple of useful discoveries (new to me anyway) while rummaging around for illustrations. The Courtauld Institute of Art has a fine searchable database of images. I have made a small selection that can be seen here. Another good source is the Public Monument and Sculpture Association database. This is a work in progress, so coverage is patchy at the moment. Check it out here. Now for the rant. It should have been very easy to answer Matt’s question by checking the National Inventory of War Memorials at the Imperial War Museum. It has not even been mentioned in this thread and I think that shows how it is failing to publish the information gathered by a huge volunteer effort. This is what NIWM web site says about access to public material, publicly gathered. Initial enquiries to view the Inventory database should be directed to the Department of Printed Books who have access to it in their Reading Room. If you find that you need to do more in-depth research and view the original research files the archive holds following this initial consultation, then an appointment can be made. Any other war memorial enquiries can be made directly to the archive. So even those who can get to IWM have to make a prior enquiry to see the basic material. Why? And then if you need to see detail, make another appointment and come back another day. Why? How, if you have travelled a long way in the first place? Why treat the public as supplicant, begging for access to material gathered by the public in the first place? They do these things so much better in Australia and Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Dixon Posted 23 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 23 January , 2004 Clive, thanks for the links, most interesting. One of the reasons I asked, is because I am one of the regional volunteers for the NIWM, and (although not wishing to speak ill of them) I have to agree that their publicity can sometimes leave a lot to be desired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientpoints Posted 23 January , 2004 Share Posted 23 January , 2004 Not sure if this is any help or cross purposes but I recall taking a couple of photos as part of the English Heritage 'Images of England' project I am involved in. I do not know if all WW1 memorials are covered by any kind of listed status - perhaps someone here already knows (or I can ask my IOE colleagues). I remember seeing another thread a while ago regarding building up a similar database of images of memorials etc within this forum. Here I beleive - http://www.1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?s...phing+memorials If this is already being done then this could be a blessing? Anyway, a quick search on the IOE database for 'war memorials' gives 885 results. Once completed in sometime after the current end date of June 2005 (is the plan) amongst all the images you will have all these war memorials with descriptions and photos. If you want anymore info I am sure I can dig some out. Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 As to figurative sculptures costing more, in the US they were mass produced and you can see the same Doughboy many places. it's very common for him to be in action, moving forward with wire around, rifle and/or grenade in hand. But there are a lot not mass produced too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 The figures around the Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park Corner are very emotive. I particularly like figure of the the soldier with an 18 pdr shell strapped to each leg. Out of curiousity was this a common practice for transporting shells forward? Seems a most uncomfortable way of carrying 36 lbs - why not a back pack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Maier Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 As to figurative sculptures costing more, in the US they were mass produced and you can see the same Doughboy many places. it's very common for him to be in action, moving forward with wire around, rifle and/or grenade in hand. But there are a lot not mass produced too. Paul, One of my first efforts on the forum was an attempt to find out whether stock components featured in British memorials. On the whole, it seems that this was not common. The thread is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somme1916 Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 There is a nice Scot, statue up near Aberdeen, can’t remember where exactly, that I saw this past summer. So striking indeed that I stopped the car turned around and took some photos of it. I'll check my data base and see if I can find it. If I do I'll post it. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 24 January , 2004 Share Posted 24 January , 2004 For anyone interested - the small village of Broughshane (outside Ballymena and the home of Sir George White VC of Ladysmith fame) raised funds through a community effort just five or six years ago. They could have gone for the plinth idea but held out for the British soldier statue. They've done a fine job. I'm pretty sure there is a pciture of it on one of their many websites - they keep winning all these best kept/britain in bloom type awards. There is also a very fine 'in action' figure on the seafront at Portstewart and another at Bushmills (Quigg VC village). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 There is a figure on the top of the war memorial in a cemetery between Newport Pagnell & New Bradwell, it is best described as a munchkin in uniform (to loosely quote Will )! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will O'Brien Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 There is a figure on the top of the war memorial in a cemetery between Newport Pagnell & New Bradwell, it is best described as a munchkin in uniform (to loosely quote Will )! Yes I didn't mention this one in my previous post as the Munchkin adorning the top of the memorial isn't really in the same league as say the figures around the Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park Corner (as mentioned by Tim Birch)...... In fact I did meet one old chap in the cemetery, who came to speak to me when he saw I was taking an interest in the memorial...........He spent the next ten minutes ranting about how the 'Munchkin' was a slur on the memory of those listed & he hoped someone would knock it off the top...........Whilst I think the chap was a bit over the top, I would agree it's not the greatest memorial that was ever erected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somme1916 Posted 5 February , 2004 Share Posted 5 February , 2004 There is a nice Scot, statue up near Aberdeen, can’t remember where exactly, that I saw this past summer. So striking indeed that I stopped the car turned around and took some photos of it. I'll check my data base and see if I can find it. If I do I'll post it. Jon As promised. I still can't remember exactly where this was. Does anyone else know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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