Methil War Memorial

The architect involved with the design of the  memorial was Mr G Charles Campbell, the builder Messrs M’Ruvie, and the sculptor Mr. Thomas Good.

Mr Gavin Purdon possesses the first model of the memorial made in bronze measuring 18 inches high and signed T. Good 1922 on the base. A plaster model standing approximately 4 feet high is in Fife Cultural Trust’s collection.

Thomas Good worked in Ramsey Lane off the Royal Mile in what is now the Camera Obscurer shop.  His workshop occupied the ground floor and basement. He was by profession a Bronze Caster, Clay Modeller, Mason and a Wood Carving Tutor at the Edinburgh school of Art.  He also had a Sculpture & Monument Practice in Edinburgh. The business flourished from 1910 – 1953 when he retired to London to live with his daughter.  He died in 1961.  The 1914 – 18 wooden frame shown at the foot of the plaster model was most likely to have been made by his apprentice.

The war memorial stands 23 feet high in Memorial Park, Methil. The stone was sourced from Cullaloe quarry near Burntisland. The carved stone figure depicts a Black Watch soldier in full fighting kit standing at ease. The front panel forms the dedication panel to the fallen while those surrounding the monument detail the names of those lost during the war. The cost of the memorial was approximately £1550. A huge crowd attended the dedication ceremony of the memorial.   The memorial was unveiled on Sunday November 26th 1922 by Lord Wester Wemyss. 


The war memorial in the park