The sculpture shows a soldier in kilt and Scottish regalia. It fits in most dramatically with its position on a rising site on the triangular ground where St Andrew’s and Ridge Road meet. Visually it is very satisfying. It may not be a great work of art, but it is certainly a fine memorial, beautifully proportioned and well executed.
South African Scottish Memorial (The Heritage Portal)
The memorial was designed by William Tait Conner, a Scottish architect born in Glasgow who moved to Johannesburg in 1903 (click here for fascinating details from Artefacts). He served with the Transvaal Scottish in the First World War, attaining the rank of major. His partner A. Hamilton was killed in the conflict. Tait Connor won the competition to design the War Memorial in Boksburg, but gave his services freely for this work in 1922.
[NB - See the comments section for clarification on this paragraph] The sculptor was Arthur Taylor, who must have been a man of some eminence in Aberdeen. Alf Beattie, a member of the South African Scottish and a survivor of the Battle of Delville Wood, had known Taylor when he had grown up in Aberdeen. He wrote to his old friend and suggested he sculpt a SA Scottish...
