Wood carving

A MAMMOTH two-metre-high wooden sculpture marking the anniversary of a First World War battle which killed men from the Monmouthshire Regiment.

The huge wooden monument, carved from a Croesyceiliog tree by Caerleon artist Chris Wood, was installed on Stow Hill, Newport,

The carving remembers the six-day Battle of Frezenberg Ridge, Ypres, which started on May 8, 1915 and saw more than 80 soldiers from the First Monmouthshire Regiment lose their lives.Artist Mr Wood took around a month to complete the wood carving, which depicts a famous scene from the battle copied from a painting in the Newport Museum.

It shows the moment when 1st Mons officer Captain Thorne responded to a German invitation to give in with the cry "Surrender? Be damned!"

The sculpture was carved from half of a Lebanese cedar tree which Mr Wood took from Croesyceiliog Baptist Church – even more poignant as it was the site where some of the soldiers would have got married.

He said the 100-year-old tree, which is the same species it is believed Jesus’ cross was made out of, was chosen because of its longevity and ability to hold well during carving.