| "the Great Response of Canada" While the spirit of heroism and self-sacrifice should be commemorated, there should be no attempt to glorify war. Designed originally to commemorate the 60,000 Canadians who died in the First World War, the National War Memorial in Confederation Square has since come to commemorate all of Canada's war dead. In 1982, the bronze numerals, 1939-1945 and 1950-1953 (Korea), were added to honour the fallen in the Second World War and in Korea. The memorial was officially dedicated in 1939, less than four months before the start of World War II. Vernon March of Farnborough, Kent, in England, was selected for his concept of "the Great Response of Canada" represented by twenty-two members of the main forces in uniform passing through a granite arch under the guidance of allegorical figures of Peace and Freedom. Symbolically, two 5.33m (17ft 6in) high allegories of peace and freedom stand at the apex of the arch, their proximity to each other representing the inseparability of the two concepts, under which the depictions of 22 Canadian service-men, from all branches of the forces engaged in the First World War in historically correct uniforms, move towards the call of duty. To avoid foreshortening from a pedestrian viewpoint, the group of figures is placed at a specific height above street level; each body is approximately 2.4m (7ft 10in) high. At the front are infantrymen; to the left a Lewis gunner, to the right a kilted soldier with a Vickers machine gun. Following these are a pilot in full gear, an air mechanic, and a sailor. Both a cavalryman and a mounted artilleryman are emerging from the arch, side by side, followed by two riflemen pressing through the arch, and behind them are the men and women of the support services, including nurses, a stretcher bearer, and a lumberman. All of these are affixed to a pedestal executed in rose-grey Canadian granite from the Dumas Quarry at Rivière-à-Pierre. The memorial, from grade to the tip of the surmounting statues' wings, is approximately 21.34m (70ft), with the arch itself 3.05m (10ft) wide, 2.44m (8ft) deep, and 8.03m (26ft 4in) high. The lowest step of the pedestal is 15.9m (52ft 2in) by 8.08m (26ft 6in). 503 tonnes of granite and 32 tonnes of bronze were used, all of which rests on a block of reinforced concrete based on steel columns set into bedrock.[3] The Memorial features 23 bronze figures, representing people who fought in the First World War, emerging from an memorial arch, moving from war into peace. Overhead, winged figures symbolize Peace and Liberty. The dates commemorating the Second World War (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953) were added in 1982. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added in 2000. Located on the upper plaza, in front of the existing National War Memorial monument, a dark Caledonia granite sarcophagus 12 feet long, 8 feet wide and 3 feet high encloses a casket containing the remains of the unknown soldier. A bronze relief sculpture is secured to the top with stainless steel pins. The four corner pieces of the sarcophagus also has bronze relief work. The unidentified soldier was selected from a cemetery in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge, the site of a famous Canadian battle of the First World War. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was created to honour the more than 116,000 Canadians whether they be navy, army, air force or merchant marine, who died or may die for their country in all conflicts - past, present, and future. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier consists of a granite sarcophagus enclosing a casket containing the remains of the unknown soldier. A bronze relief sculpture will be secured to the top with stainless steel pins. The four corner pieces of the sarcophagus will also have bronze relief work. The three-tiered sarcophagus will be 12 feet long, 8 feet wide and 3 feet high. Dark Caledonia granite, quarried in Riviere a Pierre, Quebec, was selected to complement the paler-coloured stone used in the National War Memorial. While it is patterned after the stone altar of the Vimy Memorial, the sever Ottawa climate, as well as the bronze and stone makeup of the National War Memorial, led to the decision to produce the relief work in bronze. The Sarcophagus The Bronze Relief Sculpture The sculpture, being cast in Roberts Creek, British Columbia, will include the key elements of the stone carving on the Vimy altar; a medieval sword, a helmet of the type worn in the First World War, with branches of maple and laurel leaves. The laurel leaves symbolize both victory and death. Four bronze corner pieces containing symbolic mementos of mourning will enhance the sculpture. The Four Bronze Corner Pieces Three of the corner pieces will be decorated with large replicas of the Memorial Cross. First instituted in 1919, the Cross is presented to the family of those who gave their lives while serving Canada in war or on peacekeeping missions. The three Crosses are slightly different; each has the Royal Cypher of one of the successive monarchs since its inception (George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II). On the fourth corner piece there will be a replica of a poppy, representing those who may fall in future conflicts. The curved shape of the corner pieces will echo the curve of the top of the War Memorial. The Artist The sculpture is being created by Mary-Ann Liu, a well-known Canadian artist from Mission, British Columbia, | |
