Help preserve the Belgian Veterans memorial
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/07/2021 (676 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
I wrote last month about my memories of playing baseball at Provencher Park. That article prompted a response from a reader who asked if I would consider an article about The Belgian Veterans Association Historical War Memorial on Provencher Boulevard, which is located on the strip of land between the lanes of traffic.
If you are anything like me, you have driven past this memorial countless times but don’t know its history.
The memorial was designed and sculpted by a local artist, Hubert A. Garnier, in 1938, who used stone from the quarry in Haddington Island, B.C.
Garnier, a St. Vital resident, became very well-known as a sculptor and his work can be seen across Canada and the U.S.A. at such locations as the former Hudson’s Bay Store on Portage Avenue, Hotel Vancouver, and the Rockefeller Centre in New York City.
The monument was created to honour the memory of Belgian and Allied personnel who served and those who were killed in the First World War. Plaques have since been added to honour fallen soldiers in the Second World War and the Korean War.
It depicts two soldiers, one of whom is in a Belgian uniform, standing eight-feet tall and looking down at a fallen comrade. It is very striking and the area around the monument is beautifully maintained. The detail, especially on the face of the soldier, is really impressive.
I found it interesting that two local residents, Alfred De Cruyenaere and Julien Buysse, modeled for the figures that were sculpted. The monument does not glorify war but rather depicts the stark realities of the suffering and human cost. I will be forever grateful that my dad made it off Juno Beach on D-Day and I respect all monuments that honour our veterans.
It was originally commissioned by the Belgian Veterans’ Association and the City of Winnipeg designated the monument a Heritage Site on April 4, 1995, . It now requires extensive renovations and is definitely worth preserving.
The Belgian Club which has been located at 407 Provencher Blvd. since 1908 and is also a historic building. The club has spearheaded a fundraising drive to renovate the monument and now requires less than $10,000 to reach its goal. It is hoping interested individuals or businesses will help them do just that, so the project can begin in May, 2022.
If you wish to make a donation, please send a cheque payable to the Belgian Veterans Association, Branch 107, to Della LeClair, Secretary, 103 – 266 Enfield Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R2H 1B7 or contact Della at 204-231-0763 or dellalec@outlook.com.
A monument such as this, which has stood for more than 80 years on a major Winnipeg street, deserves to be protected.
John Hindle is a community correspondent for St. Vital. Email him at john@johnhindle.com
John Hindle
Community Correspondent — St. Vital
John Hindle is a community correspondent for St. Vital. Email him at john@johnhindle.com