Location: Minto
Town/village: Minto Church,
County: Roxburghshire
Postcode: TD9 8SG
Details on cross:
Starting at the top of the shaft:- Small metal (tin?) plate stamped with G R U, two small nails
Badge of the Scots Guards (no obvious fixing)
Christ on a crucifix. A small plate with /// is fixed to the upper part of the shaft (of the crucifix)
On the cross beam:
Lt. THE HONBLE G.W.E. ELLIOT.
2ND. BN. SCOTS GUARDS.
On the shaft under the cross beam:
DIED OF WOUNDS 6-8-17
Text type Black painted
Cross dimensions
Shaft Height: 1070
Cross beam width: 457
Width of wood: 91
Thickness or depth: 36
Other information
Mounting to wall: Single screw in a picture plate hanger attached to the rear top of the shaft
Detailing: Shaft and cross beam are chamfered and edged in black paint
Evidence of use in field: Fading generally, various scuff marks, no earth. There are two bent over six inch (150mm) nails hammered through about level with the earth mark. Not obvious what they were for.
Surface insertion depth (if apparent): 350
Finish: Grey painted, black lettering and edging as noted.
Condition: Fair condition, the wood isn’t rotten or damaged. Just generally a little battered.
Other information, notes and observations: The cross hangs on the wall in (what was) the private family balcony of Minto Church.
There’s a brass plate attached to the wall to one side of the cross inscribed:-
“This cross was removed from Proven Cemetery near Poperinghe in Flanders July, 1923 Replaced by a permanent headstone”
NOTE: The likeness of Lt Elliot was used on Minto’s war memorial, said to be very good. There’s also a story about Lady Minto when she saw that the figure of a soldier was facing the family home, asking for it to face Germany saying “no soldier would turn his back on the enemy”. It does indeed face Germany.
Survey and Photos courtesy of Scott Galloway.
Portrait courtesy of Hawick remembers.
