Lochawe, monolith

Carrick’s first war memorial at Lochawe does I think clearly demonstrate the difference which existed between his works and those of many other sculptors. The most striking feature is the powerful style of his carving and it is one of his most forceful works. Carrick had developed a simple, forceful style which avoided the clutter of detail and allowed the quality of the stone itself to remain in the work.

Sculptors of the Victorian and Edwardian eras have been described as 'gentlemen modellers'. They were often the product of the public school, their education steeped in the classics, in Latin and Greek, which partly explains the proliferation of winged victories and other allegorical figures which are found in so many war memorials. They modelled in clay, the model then being cast in plaster. The plaster maquette was then passed on to the mason who would make an exact copy of the model using a pointing machine to carve the work in stone. The upshot of this was that the creative process was entirely divorced from the final execution of the work; and from the final medium used. The result of this can often be seen, for instance in the many monuments which feature figures of highland soldiers carved in granite in Scotland. The skilled masons with pneumatic tools were capable of copying the finest detail from the plaster maquette including, in one that I have seen, the pattern of the tartan in the solder's kilt. With so much detail the material itself is de-valued and unless you stand close enough to see the individual crystals in the granite you might mistake it for plaster of paris.

Carrick’s work is also marked by a great sensitivity to site. The sculptors of the period were also confined to their studios in Edinburgh and Glasgow, modelling figures for memorials and exhibiting these at the annual exhibitions. Architects and war memorial committees would visit these exhibitions, and commission the artist to execute the work for their town or village. By contrast Carrick visited the town, touring the proposed sites for the memorial with the committee members, discussing their ideas and vision and giving advice. The results of this approach can be seen at places like Lochawe. The quality of the stone is not only allowed to remain in Carrick’s work, it is an integral part of it. The base is modelled on a highland cairn. The cairn, a pyramidal pile of boulders, is a traditional method of commemoration or waymarking in the Scottish Highlands and it was fitting that Carrick should incorporate it in a Highland memorial. The cairn was constructed of boulders gathered from the slopes of Ben Cruachan, the mountain which towers above the village.

The posture of the soldier is of interest. His right leg and arm are placed forward, creating a stance which appears at first viewing rather contrived. This greatly narrows the profile of the figure however, presenting quite a sharp and narrow, almost blade like frontage. Spearhead like shapes are commonly found in the standing stones of the Highlands and Islands. It might seem fanciful to suggest that Carrick is portraying the soldier as a kind of spearhead but it is interesting to consider that after World War II one of Carrick’s pupils, Tom Whalen, submitted an entry for the proposed Commando War Memorial at Spean Bridge and Whalen’s proposal was for a sculpture of a tall flint spearhead to commemorate the men who were at the cutting edge of the battle. Indeed although the winner of that competition, Scott Sutherland another of Carrrick's pupils, adopted a figurative approach even his three commando's are grouped in a cutting 'V' formation.