Causewayhead memorial, 1923
What constitutes a ‘war memorial’? The answer most people would give, we think, would be to refer to any or all of the civic or parish memorials that are ubiquitous in the villages, towns and cities throughout Scotland. These monumental structures, even when relatively modest, were paid for and constructed by communities acting through civic committees or local authorities to mark the gratitude felt towards those who fell. If that ‘ultimate sacrifice’ was not to be forgotten then the collective memory of it had to be given a physical manifestation.
This was a sentiment given greater impetus by the emotional impact of the monolithic Cenotaph erected in Whitehall, London, at first a temporary structure of wood and card, for Peace and Armistice Day ceremonies in 1919. By far the majority of parish and civic memorials were proposed, funded, designed, built and unveiled in its wake over the next five or so years.