Statue of Lord Roberts

Category: Statue

1. Statue of Lord Roberts,
Kelvingrove Park.

This equestrian statue by Harry Bates is a memorial to General Frederick Sleigh Roberts, Roberts was a soldier of the British Army. Lord Roberts was a powerful man, after fighting in the Boer War, he was made Commander-In-Chief of the British Army. He was an Earl, and also won the Victoria Cross. His importance is in no doubt, since his statue was installed in 1915 during the First World War, when money and resources would have been scarce. His power and authority are emphasised by the placement of the statue on a high plinth. Lord Roberts became a hero at the height of the British Empire, when the Army fought many battles in India, Africa and the Middle East.

Other features of this Memorial include the symbolic sculptures of war and peace, seen as a fierce warrior and a beautiful woman. Britain's colonial past is now questioned or criticised by some, it is unlikely that new statues would be erected showing pride about the Empire. But a monument such as this reminds us of the changing nature of our history.

The memorial also includes bas-relief castings of soldiers riding into battle, but most significant of all is perhaps the inscription of Lord Roberts' speech on the eve of the First World War:

"I seem to see the gleam in the near distance of the weapons and accoutrements of this Army of the future, this Citizen Army the wonder of these islands, and the pledge of peace and of the continued greatness of this Empire"

In earlier centuries it was common to commemorate one heroic general.