Memories
Memories is a war time work designed to express the sorrow of loss. The model’s eyes gaze at the Victoria Cross, a reminder of a loved one who had given his life for his country. The Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the British honours system to members of the British Armed Forces. The figure was modelled by a niece of Lord Lincolnshire.
Shaw Wilson was a Scot who completed his early art training in Aberdeen and Glasgow and then the Royal College of Art in London. On his retirement, he settled near Guildford before moving to Bournemouth.
This sculpture was exhibited at the 1917 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and presented to the Russell-Cotes after the artist’s death in 1937. Originally a marble bust, it became damaged, so his widow had it cast in bronze in 1947. Unfortunately, a member of the public managed to detach the artist’s copy of the Victoria Cross. Consequently, a great deal of time and inconvenience was undertaken as the War Office had to be contacted and His majesty King George VI had to approve the replacement replica.
