Once
upon a time,
before the town of Portsmouth was founded, this coastline was made
up of creeks, low-lying marsh and water. Over the centuries the coastline
has altered, but the town's position here on the south coast, its
proximity to the open sea, coupled with control of the harbour and
its entrance, have secured Portsmouth's place in history as one of
the world's great anchoranges and a rendevouz for British shipping
in times of war for over 800 years.
Object of the month: 06/03
Solution:
The hand belongs to a half-sized sculptor’s maquette for
the figure of the World War I soldier gunner that appears on Portsmouth’s
War Memorial in Guildhall Square.
Maquette
on display in the introductory gallery to the Story of Portsmouth
342/1971
The sculptor for this figure, and the naval gunner who also appears on the war memorial, was Charles Sergeant Jagger, who was responsible for some very fine war memorials, including the Royal Artillery War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner, unveiled in 1925.
(maquette : this is a small model, made by a sculptor, before beginning work on the full sized sculpture, in the same way that an artist might make a rough sketch of a subject, before working on a painting.)
Portsmouth’s war memorial
Even before the First World War had finished, in 1915, the town
council had begun to consider that a permanent memorial should
be erected to the memory of those from the town who had lost
their lives in the war. In 1921 a site was chosen, using land
from Victoria Park, next to the Guildhall.
The memorial consists of a large crescent shaped screen, with the names of those who died on bronze panels and in the centre is a four sided stone column. Unveiled in 1921, it was paid for by public subscription. The architects were Messrs. Gibson and Gorton of London, sculptures were by Charles Sergeant Jagger and it was built by Samuel Salter of Portsmouth.
Charles Sergeant Jagger
Born in 1885, his family did not want him to have an artistic career,
but he won a scholarship in 1907 to the Royal College of Art.
He enlisted in 1914 in the Artists’ Rifles and survived
the war, even though he was seriously wounded twice. Jagger won
the Military Cross and his experiences in the First World War
affected his work in later life.
After the war, he carried out many sculptures commissioned by
the British War Memorials Committee, his work can be seen in London
at the Great Western Railway War Memorial at Paddington Station
and there is a statue of Sir Ernest Shackleton on the front of
the Royal Geographical Society in Exhibition Road, South Kensington.
Outside London, there are war memorials at West Kirby in Lancashire
and Bedford. Several public galleries have work by Jagger.
Past Months
Object of the month:02/04, 10/03, 09/03, 08/03, 07/03, 06/03
