WAR MEMORIAL COMPETITION

Otago Witness, Issue 3513, 12 July 1921, Page 6

WAR MEMORIAL COMPETITION

AUCKLAND FIRM’S SUCCESS. (Sec Illustrated pages.) The Mayor .Mr J. S. Douglas) presided over a milling of the War Memorial (’osnmittee at Dunedin on the 4th instant for the special purpose of receiving the award of t!i o a.-lessor (Mr Edmund It. Wilson, Licentiate It. 1.15. A., F.N.Z.1.A., architect,, of Invercargill), who was appointed to adjudicate on the War Memorial designs. Sixty-three designs were received, some from as far afield as Australia and Tasmania, and a copy of Mr Wilson's award is subjoined. The first prize winner of £2OO is Messrs I’rouso and Glimmer, architects, of Auckland, and the second prize winner of £ M Hyland and Phillips, of Heretannga street, Hastings. The assessor also honourably mentions the desires sent in by Mr J. I 4 '. Murinings, Wellington, Messrs W. Gray Young and William M. Page, of Wellington, and Mr It. A. Wt terholm, of Napier. The committee decided to recommend the City Council to pay the prize inon< . - awarded by the as essor, and ’’nstrie• tcel tile Designs Committee to make arrangements for displaying the whole of the designs in some building where they may be readily seen by the general public. MR WILSON’S REPORT. I beg to report having examined and carefully studied the designs submitted in competition for the above, and to advise as under:— Clause 9 of “The Conditions of Competition” contain the gist of your requirements, when it stipulates that:

1 The amount to be expended is £10,000; 2. It >s desired tile monument shall be of great artistic merit; 3. It should lie erected of first-class materials of known lasting quality ; 4. It is desired that it fittingly symbolise the deeds: 5. And commemorate the deaths of our soldiers fallen in the great war. Few of the designs submitted realise the essential Condition No. 2, "of great artistic merit.” A large proportion are quite impossible and worthless, and many more extremely mediocre. Some are obviously almost direct copies of well-known monuments or of designs recently illustrated in our journals as having been submitted in competitions elsewhere. There is a marvellous collection of cenotaphs, obelisks, pillars, arches, and shrines; some stark and naked, others painfully overdressed and pretentious. Most fail to realise Condition No 4 of sv rnholising the deeds of our soldiers while some of the more artislic suggest abject despair, such as wo might expect to find in a Pagan burying place, or as a memorial of a vanquished people, rather than the commemoration of the glorious triumph of a Christian people through tremendous sacrifices over the forces of might and evil. In this respect, it. is singular the 1 only f ile design c Parly introduces the symbol of sacrifice and of our faith, and Unit that design is the one J place first. Design No 59 best fulfils the letter and the spirit of your requirements and instructions to competitors. This author’s scheme will produce a strikingly beautiful and original monument, most suitable for the site, and which would bo an embellishment to any city. The sculptural reliefs are an inherent part of the design, they are appropriately suggestive, and will speak

plainly and eloquently to all beholders, of the great sacrifices and of the mighty deeds that made its erection possible. The author gives an excellent description of his work and of tho sentiments he desires to express, which may well be recorded as I under: | THE DESIGN. “An endeavour lias been made to provide a memorial which by its composition, silhouette and symbol, by its permanence of const ruction, by its fitness for site and purpose commemorates the “Spirit of .Sacrifice” in respect of the great war. “The octagonal form lias been adopted because of the irregular nature of the site and the fact that a true face is thus presented to almost every possible viewpoint and line of approach, whereas a rectangular form must: have a sharp corner to some lines of approach, with the result that its sides will appear to slide away from the spectator. ’'Furthermore, like a circle, the octagonal form contains elements of circulation. This element of circulation is required by the island like nature of the site and its surrounding streets, and is of added value in ! the base of the column in leading fork viewing the sculptural panels readily and naturally from one panel to tho next, whereas a square form would mitigate this sense of relation, and. the physical movement from one side to another would be conscious and not instinctive. “Height is considered an essential in the monument, because with height it is readily seen from distant and vistaed points of view. In this matter of height the scale of the existing and possible future buildings surrounding the site have been borne in mind.

“The spirit of sacrifice indicates an offering. Tile author’s aim has been to make his monument soar from strong base lines (in which Eire commemorative and symbolic sculptures) through the symbol of tiie Cross (the emblem of sacrifice) to the terminating festive. the sacrificial urn, typifying the eternal offering of the deeds of those who served in the great yar. Thus tlie lines of the design, after the manner of many a. Gothic spire and Italian Campanile, have been used to create the feeling that the monument does not stop 1.1 its actual height, but, with its carefullypoised emblematical urn, soars higher. This soaring line, which has been studied in silhouette from the base upwards, is wedded to the natural level of tho ground by stone flagging, the steps in which have been dis i tanced so that tho flagging will lie easily and naturally like the run of a tired wave S up t lie beach. j "The lowest member of the base of the | column, above the stone flagging, is de--1 signed as a seat. This seat will form a j convenient offset for die placing of wreathon anniversary and other important- dates. “The sculpture above the seat is so | placed that, while convenient to the eye. at ! a short distance, will still bo observable | to those further away over Lite shoulders of J intervening people. | “Two of the panels of die lower base are particularly emphasised, as they will front the pathway through the gardens. The faces are bordered with Roman fasces, tho symbol expressing tile rights of the State over the individual. “One of these panels bears the simple inscription, ' The Glorious Dead,’ and will bo wrought in letters moulded after tho.se famous in the base of Trajan’s column at Rome. Above, this inscription (and associated with it) in the upper base of the

column is a ‘Mourning Victory,’ symbolising the people’s sorrow at the cost of the everlasting victory of those to whom the inscription refers. “On the opposite panel referred to, in the base, is a bas-relief lion typifying the British Empire, with appropriate inscription. Above, on the upper base of the column is a figure of ‘Manhood,’ just completing his carving of the word ‘Honour.’ The suggestion is that in the realisation of honour the manhood of the British Empire went to the front; in fighting satisfied honour, in victory achieved honour. This figure, also the ‘ Mourning Victory,’ will be modelled in the masonry of the column from bas-relief to high relief. “On the remaining two cardinal faces of the column are emblems of eternal life, victory, and peace, ia the torch, wreath of bay leaves, and palm leaves. ''} 1 e lower base over the remainder of its sides is girdled with bronze castings representing scenes typical of the various fronts on which the troops fought. It is intended that, the _ lower portions of these panels should be in high relief, and consistent with architectural requirements, realistic, and that the upper portions (the flat) should be in very flat relief showing in almost visionary form (and different scale to the high relief’ the forms of soldiers marching or perorming duties specially characteristic of the front that the panel commemorates. “As the Emblem of Sacrifice the cross has been designed to dominate the column with every consideration for line and a careful adjustment of light and shade. I heso cross forms spring from the four cardinal faces of the octagon which ends (for the time being) so that the column becomes cross form in plan as well as in elevation. Purposely interwedded with tho cross forms, and standing on bases above tins secondary faces of the octagon ar© figures, carved from tho solid, symbolising the Immortality of Sacrifice. From whatever angle the column can be viewed the endeavour has been by line, light, and shade, _ silhouette, and symbol to load to and give fullest expression to the climax embodied in the terminating feature. “SCULPTURE AND BRONZES. “In this instance the author has avoided free standing sculpture feeling that a greater appeal ip his modelled forms is-obtained by making this part of the general structure. Though the higher relief is cut in, the genral masonry is. whore necessary projected to allow of this, and so any apparent weakening of the structural line is avoided. The figures of " Manhood ’ and ‘ Mourning Victory ” being in various, planes of bas-relief and high re’ief, and part of the general masonry, have necessarily been treated with a largeness of scale that would be impossible with full relief figures. “-For the fulfilment of the sculptural work, a sculptor whom the author has every confidence in recommending for his appreciation of form, technical ability, knowledge of stories and matters relating to casting in bronze, and who has executed work under- a leading English architect, would probably be employed. Though the author has had bronze work cast in New Zealand, as largo as on this monument, he feels, owing to the difficulty in obtaining locally the proper sand for the moulds to producq the fine work this design requires, it may be necessary to hare the bronze panels cast in England.” My first impression was that the cost limit had been exceeded, but careful study of the detailed priced quantities submitted bears out tire estimate of £9975 16s Bd. TJiis is made possible by the use of two excellent stones from India, the one for the general structure including the sculptures, and tho other for the flagged paving. The author submits samples, claiming them as superior and cheaper than any other stones at present available in Australasia, On thi spoint I took the advice of one of your city’s best and most experienced master masons, and he confirms this opinion. Tho author guarantees the landed costs. The drawings are clear and well thought out, and tho. specification and priced quantities carefully prepared anu explicit. Together they show thoroughness and grasp of the whole position. The one adverse comment I would make is in regard to tho silhouette of the terminal, which I have no doubt tho author will improve as he executes it. I heartily recommend this design No. 59 “to your committee, advising that its author receive the first prize of £2OO and that he bo commissioned to carry cut its erection. It is essential that the sculptor employed shall be a first-class artist, whose work should equal that of eminent members of the pro.-ent British School. Anything less would lie a source of lasting regret. This need should be impressed on the author. i also advise that the author be commissioned to reform the entire Queen's Gardens in keeping with and as a setting to ilia monument. I further advise that if suitable new Zealand stones be available by the time you are ready to proceed, that they tie substituted for those suggested, even if somewhat greater costs be involved. I am sure that the author will agree that the best artistic effects are only obtainable fcy using tlie stones of the locality, and patriotic considerations also dictate this course. The present difficulty with which ho is contending is the high cost and rather unsympathetic. colour of the dominion stones presently available. I have good reason to believe this state of things will soon be remedied by excellent material becoming available from the province. 1 found it a difficult task to select tho second best design, and in this respect am thankful that No. 59 was so unquestionably superior to the rest, of which the best are Nos. Lb, 35, IS. and 24.