The first sculpture Philip ever made was done for a dear friend of his, the Reverend Eric Jones, a colleague on the staff of King Edward VI College, Devon, who was responsible for Religious Education throughout the school.

Eric and Philip were drawn together because of their spiritual beliefs, and grew to become firm friends. Philip, the searcher, found in Eric, the priest, a person who could help him resolve the numerous queries he had about life in its deepest sense. He found Eric's faith contagious, true and unshakeable. Eric himself drew from Philip a very real faith.

When Eric spoke of leaving teaching, Philip wanted to make him a gift involving light and enlightenment. In his notes he recorded that he first thought of a simple wrought iron candlestick but felt that it needed his own personal stamp on it - a figure of chivalry perhaps. Various ideas came to him before he settled on a kneeling figure similar to that of a knight of old who stayed in church all through the night as a vigil to start his quest in the right manner. Instead of a sword he would hold a candle to symbolise the evolution from war to peace.

The various symbols which Philip created were expressions of the ways in which he responded to experiences which moved him deeply - and in many cases were made specifically to help others in a time of need. His hope was that his works would be received in a manner that would assist the recipient come to terms with their situation.

One such gift was the one he made for a Mr and Mrs H, of Kingsbridge, Devon. Their daughter, a nurse, had been killed in particularly tragic circumstances in a plane crash in the Arctic wastes of Northern Canada. Philip had been so upset by a television report of the accident that he felt compelled to offer his sympathy in the way he knew best. He made a Vigil figure which he felt would help them, and took it to their home as an offering.

The couple were moved by the gesture. So much so, that later when they were faced with another difficult event they were to commission him to produce a second piece of remarkable simplicity and beauty; Philip's Good Samaritan.

One day, in 1978, Philip's wife, went down to the basement to his workshop where Philip was engrossed in some new project, and enquired what he was doing. Sheepishly he told her.

He explained that he was making two identical figures - one for President Sadat of Egypt, the other for Prime Minister Begin of Israel. These two powerful leaders were about to meet to try to resolve the grave situation which existed between the two countries, to stave off the threat of war. Philip wanted to help. He decided to make what he called 'a physical prayer' for both of them, something that could be kept in front of them to show that the ordinary man cared.

After he explained what he was doing his wife recalls being overwhelmed by the firm, unswerving, uncomplicated, faith that Philip had that his own efforts could help. He was so clear in his own mind that he should go ahead and make his contribution to their peace process.

At the Egyptian Embassy, he was able to walk straight in and offer the sculpture to an aide. When Philip explained the object of his mission, the Aide expressed that he was unhappy that the Ambassador himself was not there to receive the gift personally. He was profuse in his apologies and very appreciative of the gesture.

Conditions at the Israeli Embassy were different with the security being tighter - security scanners, a thorough search and rougher treatment etc.. Later however, when the official dealing with him finally realised that there was no threat, and understood the motive behind Philip's gesture, he was moved. Equally he could not apologise enough for the fact that someone more important was not there to receive him.

In the end, it had been an exercise which threw up difficulties and problems, but in his estimation he felt that it had been successful and well worth doing. Being a decisive gesture on his part, it renewed and developed in Philip a strong sense of satisfaction and self-belief.

Five years later, when the Arms Reduction Summit was about to take place in Geneva between President Reagan and General Secretary Andropov, Philip felt compelled to do as he had done for the Middle East talks, and to make two more pieces. He felt within himself that this was the right thing to do. He told his wife: 'When the motive is pure, nothing can go wrong'.

They had been made in such a way that the candle holders could be removed and a specially made link fitted to join the two. This link was constructed to hold a single candle.

In his letters to the two Ambassadors, Philip expressed his wish that the figures could be placed on the table when the talks were taking place to keep 'to the forefront of the minds of the negotiators the concern and hopes of the man in the street'.

Again, the way in which he was received in the two Embassies was different; The security-conscious Americans searched him thoroughly. Their manner was so abrupt and brusque that it upset Philip. In contrast the Russians greeted him courteously and kindly, with an obvious bewilderment at the unusual involvement by an ordinary man in the affairs of such magnitude.
What happened to the matching vigils, Philip never knew - but he felt satisfied that he had done what he had to do. Although the special brass link remained in the hands of his family, much of what Philip was hoping to occur between the former Soviet Union and the United States came to pass - the sum total of many significant and individual acts tipping the balance in the right direction.

There was another issue, the development of nuclear technology, that particularly worried him. His response to this was to make The Nuclear Ostrich.