Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bank of Montreal War Monument (335 Main Street, Winnipeg)

Unveiled on 5 December 1923 in front of the Bank of Montreal in Winnipeg, this bronze statue of a First World War soldier replaced a temporary cenotaph that had stood on this corner from 1920 to early 1923. It had been built through the effort of the Women's Canadian Club and Eva Lillian Jones by the construction firm of Carter-Halls-Aldinger at a cost of about $1,500.

The 1923 monument commemorates the 231 bank employees from across Canada who died in the conflict. It was sculpted by noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser (1876-1953) and modeled after Captain Wynn Bagnall (1890-1931) of the 58th Field Artillery, a member of the bank’s Winnipeg staff.

Bank of Montreal War Monument

Bank of Montreal War Monument (2009)
Source: City of Winnipeg

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89528, W97.13798
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Manitoba Business: Carter-Halls-Aldinger / Commonwealth Construction Company

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bank of Montreal (335 Main Street, Winnipeg)

Sources:

“Building permits given big boost,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 June 1920, page 5.

“Montreal bank statue unveiled,” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 December 1923, page 3.

“Miss Eva L. Jones, educationalist, dies,” Manitoba Free Press, 9 June 1928, page 4.

Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, June Dutka, and Jordan Makichuk.

Page revised: 11 November 2023

Historic Sites of Manitoba

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