BMO’s First World War soldier memorial now standing guard over lost brothers in arms

A war memorial that stood watch at Portage and Main for more than a century is now in its final resting place, among those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The monument, depicting Canadian First World War soldier Captain Wynn Bagnall — an employee of the Bank of Montreal’s Winnipeg main branch who served in the 58th Field Artillery — was officially rededicated Thursday in the Field of Honour at Brookside Cemetery, marking the 109th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

“This is the final resting place for over 10,000 veterans and service members, making it a deeply meaningful home for this statue,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said at the dedication event. “I’m grateful to the Manitoba Métis Federation, BMO and all our partners for ensuring this piece of our history is preserved for generations to come.”

Gail Conrad Davey of the Royal Canadian Legion said what makes the statue especially powerful is its simplicity — a single soldier standing in quiet reflection.

“And yet, in that one figure, we see thousands,” she said. “We see the courage to step forward. We see the weight of service and we see the cost of war.

“This monument reminds us that the impact of war is never abstract. It is personal. It reaches into offices, homes and families. It leaves an absence that is felt for generations. Today’s rededication is more than a ceremonial act. It is a renewal — a renewal of our promise to remember, of our responsibility to honour.”

Last fall, the MMF, which purchased the former BMO building in 2020, worked with the city on a plan to relocate the monument due to the redevelopment of Portage and Main, reopening the iconic intersection to pedestrian traffic.

Originally erected in September 1923 by BMO, the statue commemorates the 231 bank employees who lost their lives in the First World War.

“The statue will have a role to play, to look after the veterans who are buried here,” MMF President David Chartrand said. “That BMO, as an institution, commissioned this statue to honour their employees speaks volumes about the heavy toll this battle had on all Canadians — those on the home front, those who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who came home broken and haunted by everything they witnessed and experienced.”

More than 4,000 First Nations soldiers fought in the First World War, but the number of Métis who went to war is unknown, as only status Indians were officially recorded by the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the time.

Chartrand said the statue will now “protect” the graves of fallen servicemen and remind people of their contributions while also serving as a reminder that wars can happen.

“We’re close to potentially having one right now,” he said. “It worries me as a leader to see what’s happening to the south of us… that’s potentially hedging itself into something that will definitely affect us.

“And we need to worry, and we need to watch and we need to see what we can do to make sure it doesn’t happen. Because that’s what they died for, so that it never happens again.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca