The Competition

The competition aroused enormous interest, especially from overseas entrants and, for the sake of fairness, the Committee extended the closing date for submissions to 31 December 1917. An announcement to this effect appeared in the 10 September issue of The Times. The following month, on Thursday 18 October, the same paper printed a reference to the good progress of the scheme and repeated the information that the closing date had been extended to the end of the year. The article also added that:

"In addition to the plaque, a scroll with a suitable inscription will be given. This is being designed at the present moment and it is hoped that it will be possible to put printing in hand in less than a fortnight."

This last sentence expressed a hope indicative of a powerful optimism. The stated timescale was not fulfilled; the production of the scroll was to be beset with technical and textual problems.

By the revised closing date over 800 entries had been received from all over the Empire, from the Western Front, the Balkan and Middle Eastern theatres of war and from many artists based at home in Britain.

Assisted by its specialist 'artistic' sub-committee, the ninth meeting of the General Committee arrived at a decision on 24 January 1918. Approval for the winning design was subsequently obtained from the Admiralty, War Office and the King. At the same time the design of the memorial scroll and its text were being considered in detail. The minds of the contemporary literary world were ransacked in an effort to obtain a satisfactory elegiac formula. According to the late Miss Rose Coombs, former Librarian at the Imperial War Museum, the solution came via the good offices of Sir Vincent Baddeley, the Admiralty representative on the General Committee, who sought permission to consult the Provost of King's College, Cambridge, Dr Montague Rhodes James. Sir Vincent remembered that he was supplied with a draft wording by return of post.

The results of the competition were officially announced in The Times for Wednesday 20 March 1918, the day before the beginning of the German 'Kaiserschlacht' offensive on the Western Front.

The first prize of £250, for two model designs, was awarded to 'Pyramus' - Edward Carter Preston of the Sandon Studios Society, Liverpool. The second prize of £100 went to 'Moolie' - Charles Wheeler (sculptor and medallist) of Chelsea. Third prizes of £50 each went to 'Sculpengro' - William McMillan (who later contributed designs for the British War Medal and Victory Medal), 'Weary' - Sapper G D MacDougald and 'Zero' - Miss H F Whiteside.

Another nineteen competitors were considered 'worthy of an honourable mention'. As a postscript competitors were requested to reclaim their models from the National Gallery.