Andrew Sinclair’s magnificent memorial sculpture for the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment was unveiled with spectacular British pageantry in Halifax, Yorkshire, on Friday 17th May 2019.
The Unveiling Ceremony was a fantastic celebration and tribute to the Regiment’s 300 year history, and was an emotional farewell to the sculpture for Andrew and the team here, who’d spent 18 months and more creating this dynamic bronze memorial. A civic ceremony at the Piece Hall in Halifax was followed by a poignant service at the Minster before Andrew’s dynamic memorial sculpture was unveiled with glorious military pomp and pageantry to the sound of marching bands from the regiment and the police, with a Victory Drum beat before the Unveiling Cloth was released. A nerve-wracking moment we’d been worrying about since the sculpture left our studio the preceding Monday! Such a privilege to be part of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment’s history.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqDIgz9WIEI&t=2s
The sculpture has been cast in phosphor bronze and weighs one and a half tons. Andrew’s monumental sculpture incorporates the narrative of the Regiment’s 300 year history in a stunningly unusual design and features 4 lifesize figures – soldiers from the 1700’s,1800’s,1900’s and 2000’s. Included on ‘the edifice’ supporting the soldiers are: a portrait of Arthur Wellesley, the Regiment’s namesake -The Duke of Wellington; their Indian elephant mascot; the regimental colours with many more significant aspects of their history woven into the piece.