First World War memorial statue finds new home in Winnipeg cemetery

A First World War Memorial Statue that stood at Portage and Main now has a new home in the city.

A statue that stood at Winnipeg’s Portage and Main for decades now has a new home in the city.

The statue, part of a First World War monument in downtown Winnipeg at the former Bank of Montreal (BMO) building, was officially rededicated and placed in Brookside Cemetery on Thursday, the 109th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

“This statue does not belong to any one organization or government alone; it belongs to the people, to history, and to those who served,” said Shawn Nault, the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) minister for Red River Métis veterans.

MMF purchased the BMO building in 2020 and became “caretaker” of the statue, according to Nault. The statue was then removed from that location when construction began to reopen Portage and Main to pedestrian traffic. That started discussions on where to put it next.

Last October, the organization decided to gift the statue to the city to be placed in the Field of Honour at the cemetery.

“It stands among fellow veterans in a place dedicated to remembrance, where its meaning is perhaps even more profound,” said Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham. “The monument tells and will forever tell the story of service, dedication and sacrifice. It reflects a time when a generation answered the call, leaving behind their loved ones, their families, their communities, their careers and their futures.”

The statue was originally erected in 1923 and is modelled after Captain Wynn Bagnall, a BMO employee who served in the First World War.

• With files from CTV’s Daniel Halmarson