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CodeDS/UK/32
Dates1888-1960
Person NameLedward; Gilbert (1888-1960); sculptor
SurnameLedward
ForenamesGilbert
Epithetsculptor
SourceThe information in the above entry has been used with permission kindly granted by Catherine Moriarty, author of "The Sculpture of Gilbert Ledward", (London: The Henry Moore Foundation, 2003)
Biographical NoteGilbert Ledward RA was a British sculptor who was commissioned for sculptural work on the Imperial War Graves Commission's Memorials to the Missing after the First World War.

Gilbert Ledward was born on 23 January 1888.

Between 1895 and 1901, Ledward attended St. Mark's College, Chelsea, followed by Chelsea Polytechnic (1902-03) and the Royal College of Art (1905). In 1911, he won 1st prize and a silver medal for his relief, "Act of Mercy". He married Margery Beatrix Cheesman.

During the First World War, he served with the Royal Garrison Artillery as a lieutenant. Ledward served on the Italian front and was Mentioned in Dispatches. He was seconded to the Ministry of Information. In 1919, he was demobilised.

Having served during the First World War and being the first artist to win a scholarship in sculpture to the British School in Rome, Ledward was in demand as a sculptor of war memorials in the interwar period. His work included the two lions at the Ploegsteert Memorial (1929), the Guards Division memorial in St James's Park, London and the war memorials at Stockport, Abergavenny, Blackpool, Harrogate, and Stonyhurst College.

Between 1922 and 1925, in partnership with Harold Chalton Bradshaw, he created the bronze sculptures for the Household Division's memorial on Horse Guards Parade in London.

In 1934, Ledward co-founded the Sculptured Memorials and Headstones firm to promote carving by regional artists in native stone. By 1937, Ledward was elected to the Royal Academy as Professor of Sculpture at the Royal College of Art and a President of the Royal Society of British Sculptors (RBS).

Gilbert Ledward died in 1960.
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