Rhynie, The Square, War Memorial

War Memorial, 1920, Robert Morrison. Superlative sculpted granite figure of an infantryman, the summit of craftsmanship in granite carving. On tall, square plinth.

Robert Warrack Morrison, 1890-1945, the consummate granite craftsman of this century. Son of a tailor, he worked

in the granite yards of the United States both before and after the First World War, but was attracted back to his old firm, Morren & Co, Holland Street, Aberdeen, by the huge demand for memorials after the Great War. He was remembered as an extraordinarily fast yet accurate worker, who could carve the figure of a soldier in six weeks instead of the normal six or nine months. He was responsible for the obelisk at Clatt, the Celtic crosses at Lumsden and Towie, the soldier

figures at New Elgin, Moray and Tarland, Kincardine and Deeside, and also executed work for Cumberland,

Northumberland and parts of Wales. The great period of memorial-carving lasted from 1919 to 1926, ending with the General Strike, after which memorials became less ornate and more economical in their use of granite. Morrison became manager of Morren's in 1927; his finest work is said to be the gravestone of his wife, Anne, who died in 1930 at the age of 40, which stands in Trinity Cemetery, Aberdeen.

Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

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War Meml [NAT]

OS 1:2500 map, 1970.