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Edinburgh, Market Street, South African War Memorial To Black Watch

War Memorial (20th Century) (1910)

Site Name Edinburgh, Market Street, South African War Memorial To Black Watch

Classification War Memorial (20th Century) (1910)

Alternative Name(s) The Mound; North Bank Street

Canmore ID 113613

Site Number NT27SE 917

NGR NT 25501 73655

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/113613

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Edinburgh, City Of
  • Parish Edinburgh (Edinburgh, City Of)
  • Former Region Lothian
  • Former District City Of Edinburgh
  • Former County Midlothian

Activities

Project (1997)

The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (http://www.pmsa.org.uk/) set up a National Recording Project in 1997 with the aim of making a survey of public monuments and sculpture in Britain ranging from medieval monuments to the most contemporary works. Information from the Edinburgh project was added to the RCAHMS database in October 2010 and again in 2012.

The PMSA (Public Monuments and Sculpture Association) Edinburgh Sculpture Project has been supported by Eastern Photocolour, Edinburgh College of Art, the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, Historic Scotland, the Hope Scott Trust, The Old Edinburgh Club, the Pilgrim Trust, the RCAHMS, and the Scottish Archive Network.

Field Visit (13 February 2001)

Standing bronze figure of a kilted soldier, his rifle butt on the ground, his arms crossed across his chest supporting the rifle tip, standing guard and looking towards Edinburgh Castle, on top of a high stone pedestal. On the front (west face) of the pedestal is a bronze high relief scene of Black Watch soldiers in action. Above that is the regimental crest (in bronze).

On 12 July 1906 the Town Council of Edinburgh held a meeting to discuss a letter from William Birnie Rhind, asking for permission to erect a memorial to the Black Watch Regiment in the Bank of Scotland's grounds on the Mound. A Sub-Committee which had examined the sketches and visited the site, recommended that permission be granted (1). In September 1906 the Town Council received a letter from the Bank of Scotland agreeing to donate a piece of their ground, on condition that the ground be conveyed to the Town Council and that the Bank be freed from all responsibility for the Memorial (2). In March 1909 however, the Town Council received another letter from William Birnie Rhind, asking permission to erect the memorial in the centre of the south end of Castle Street. This permission was not granted (3). The memorial was ultimately erected on the Mound in 1910, being unveiled on 27 June.

The memorial commemorates General Wauchope and the men of the Black Watch who fell in the South African campaign.

Inscriptions : On west face at top of pedestal, below regimental crest (in applied bronze letters):

AM FREICEADAN DUBH

On west face of pedestal (in applied bronze letters):

TO THE MEMORY OF / OFFICERS / NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN / OF / THE BLACK WATCH / WHO FELL IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR / 1899 - 1902

On north face of pedestal (raised letters on bronze panels):

OFFICERS / NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN / WHO DIED FROM DISEASE / [list of names follows]

On south face of pedestal:

OFFICERS / NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN / WHO WERE KILLED IN ACTION OR DIED FROM WOUNDS / [list of names follows]

Signatures : At bottom left of relief:

Birnie Rhind

1908

Design period : 1906 - 1910

Year of unveiling : 1910

Unveiling details : 27 June 1910

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN0186)

Project (February 2014 - July 2014)

A data upgrade project to record war memorials.

References

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