As a mark of the high esteem in which he is regarded as a distinguished Scottish nobleman, and in recognition of the outstanding part taken by him in initiating and carrying to a successful issue the project for the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle.
""I have never wavered in my belief that for a National Memorial for the sons and daughters of Scotland who gave their lives in a war to which every home in the country contributed its quota of service and sacrifice, there could be no place so fitting as the great rock which has played so great a part in Scottish history, and which to-day, as centuries ago, is alike in its rugged strength and its beauty so characteristic both of the country's scenery and of the character of its people. To have ignored it as a site for the National Memorial would have shown, I think, a considerable lack of imagination, and to have disfigured it would have been a national crime. Public opinion in a beautiful city such as yours is rightly vigilant.
Owing to the genius of Sir Robert Lorimer, and the skill that has already been cited of that notable band of artists and craftsmen who helped him, a, memorial has been set up that is truly national in character, and which is, I believe, permeated with the atmosphere we hoped to create ; a spirit that seems to bring us nearer to and in closer touch with those whose names are commemorated within it. I am glad to believe that this memorial has brought comfort to many people who visit it daily in a spirit of reverence and love. But the memorial does not merely record names. It endeavours to interpret and perpetuate in a visible form, service, sacrifice and peace after strife. We have laboured to secure that no form of service, however lowly, should be overlooked."