The first Sentinel, was a meditation piece which also became a personal sense comfort and strength for Philip in his difficult days. Originally conceived after the death of an important and respected statesman, his intention was to offer it to the statesman's nephew, whom he knew felt the loss of his dear uncle deeply.

However when Philip's mother saw it, she admired it so much that he was moved to offer it as a gift to her. She lived alone, his father having died some years earlier, and Philip felt that it was an appropriate gift to keep her safe. When his mother passed away, he decided to retain 'First Sentinel' for his own collection.

" It was an important thing to have with me when I was in hospital in July [1985]," he wrote later. "It reminded me of the force of will, re: 'mind over matter'. I remember in detail how I made it from just pieces of metal until it was shaped and assembled into its present form.

Forging steel is the shaping of a hard inflexible material until it is in the desired form, and as ever it is a compromise since the material limits what can be done. Quite often the forged steel is extended until it reaches the point of fatigue.

The Sentinel is a similar conception as the Vigil, that of a warrior who has experienced many battles, and now stands as a guardian of peace with a will of steel".

The Falklands War caused Philip unusual distress. His fervent hope was that the troubles could be resolved without loss of life, and his wife noted that Philip's face daily registered his grave concern as he watched television news bulletins. When the conflict began, and when HMS Sheffield was destroyed, Philip - who as a young man had held a secret ambition to join the Navy - was once again moved to channel his hopes and energies in creating a special 'physical prayer' for the safe return of all those engaged in the war.

This time the Sentinel stood upright in a boat. It was not a modern warship but a Viking long boat; to symbolise the fact that battles had been launched and fought from ships for centuries. The Sentinel however was now standing to guard and preserve peace, holding a candle in the place of a weapon.

Philip recorded that, as he made it in the seclusion of his basement-workshop, he was inspired by the music of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Handel's 'Messiah', which helped to give a certain rhythm to his hammering.

His intention was that the Sentinel in a Boat could be suspended by a special chain link to the deckhead of a warship as a visible prayer for all on board. From his previous experiences with his peace Vigils he knew his greatest challenge was to get the sculpture to the right person if his intentions were to be fulfilled. After some considerable thought, he decided that a personal approach to a member of the royal family might be the answer, rather than going through a governmental department or the armed services. Accordingly he wrote to a senior royal at giving details of his proposed gesture.

The occasion had coincided with the birth of a child to that senior royal and his wife, and Philip that he would decide to make them a special gift.

Again with the theme of the Sentinel bearing a candle as its central feature, the figure was created to stand guard in front of sentry box, just like the guards at Buckingham Palace which the young royal would grow to know so well. His letter was acknowledged courteously, and Philip drove up from Devon with the two pieces to deliver them to their country residence. He had hoped that he might be able to hand them over to one of the royal secretaries and be given some small opportunity to explain them. Sadly, he was disappointed, thus he left the pieces along with an accompanying letter.

He received an acknowledgement, expressing the couple's delight in the unique present and workmanship. Philip added the letter to his treasured possessions. Unfortunately, in the mass of correspondence received at the time of the birth of the young royal, the explanatory letter accompanying 'Sentinel in a Boat' was lost. As a consequence it is believed that the the sculpture did not get to its intended destination and its whereabouts is unknown.