What the Monument means to the Foundry

Interview with Chris Boverhoff ­ Foundry Director for Morris Singer Ltd

September 2004

What does this monument mean to the Foundry?
We are all delighted to be involved in this amazing project. We are very conscious of the sacrifices that so many people made during the Battle and we are extremely proud to be part of keeping their memory alive.

Morris Singer has a long history of delivering some of the world's greatest monuments, and this is one of the most important pieces we have worked on. I would say it ranks alongside some of our most prestigious historical work such as the Lions in Trafalgar Square, the statue of Bodicea in Hyde Park, Eros in Piccadilly circus and the Figure of Justice on top of the Old Bailey in London.

What are the main responsibilities of the Foundry?
Our role on this project is to deliver the bronze elements of the monument, translating the sculptor's beautifully intricate and detailed design and ensuring we do justice to his concepts.

The way we do this has a number of complex technical stages and involves virtually everyone in our company of 25 people. (See separate page on the actual technical stages that go into producing the castings)

How do you find working with the sculptor (Paul Day)?
Working with Paul Day has been very exciting for all of us. Like all the best sculptors, Paul knows exactly what he wants and has very high expectations. He understands the processes that we use and he is very organised, which certainly helps us plan the work.

Paul visits regularly to check on progress, but with modern communications ­ such as being able to send him progress pictures by email ­ the fact that he is based in France has not been an issue.

What have been the biggest challenges?
The most unusual thing about this design is the combination of size and detail. You often find that the largest castings do not have too much detail. This design, however, is very big ­ with eight-metre long panels, but also contains an enormous amount of intricate detail. This makes a taxing and complex challenge for us which we are really enjoying, and of course pushes us to produce our very best work.

Where are we in the casting process (September 2004)?
The castings comprise two eight metre sections, the large "Scramble" centrepiece and approximately 30 metres of lettering with the crew names. We have just completed the first eight metre section and will be starting the second eight metre section this month. We have also completed some of the lettering sections.

We are all looking forward to completing the rest of the project and seeing the unveiling of what will undoubtedly be a magnificent monument.

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