Historic Sites of Manitoba: Great-West Life Assurance Company Building and War Memorial (60 Osborne Street, Winnipeg)

This building on Osborne Street in Winnipeg, designed by Toronto architects Marani and Morris and the Winnipeg firm of Moody Moore and Partners, was built between 1958 and 1959 by contractor Gerard Alphonsus “Gerry” Baert at the former site of the Winnipeg Amphitheatre and Osborne Stadium.

Plaques in the lobby of the building list employees who were killed during service in the First World War and Second World War. They were unveiled originally at ceremonies held on 11 November 1921 and 11 November 1948, respectively.

Great-West Life Assurance Building (December 2012) Source: George Penner Great-West Life Assurance Building (June 2024) Source: Greg Petzold Great-West Life Assurance Building (June 2024) Source: Greg Petzold Aerial view of Great-West Life Assurance Building (September 2024) Source: George Penner Great-West Life War Memorial (November 2018) Source: Gary Craven Great-West Life War Memorial (November 2018) Source: Gary Craven Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88387, W97.14955 denoted by symbol on the map above

First World War

Name	Occupation	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
Geoffrey Lloyd Adams	Land & Timber Valuator	Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry	Private	9 August 1881	8 May 1915
George Herbert Armshaw [Maryland Methodist, Next of Kin]	Clerk	78th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	20 March 1897	9 April 1917
John Henry McLeod	Collector	100th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	24 April 1890	14 March 1917
Ella Marie Nichols	Nurse	Volunteer Aid Division	Volunteer Nurse	20 March 1896	13 November 1918
Robert Edwin Dawe Pollard MM	Insurance Clerk	8th Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Sergeant Major	8 April 1894	23 December 1918
Albert Edward Sheppard	Insurance Clerk	52nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry	Private	4 June 1894	23 May 1918

Second World War

Name	Service	Rank	Birth Date	Death Date
Huntley Donald Brander	7 (RAF) Squadron	Pilot Officer	4 July 1915	30 June 1941
Thomas Leonard Brandson	HMSC Athabaskan, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve	Paymaster Lieutenant	28 June 1915	29 April 1944
Richard Charles Holmes	HMCS Prevost, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve	Lieutenant	16 December 1912	5 September 1945
John Campbell Lawrence	HMCS Shawinigan, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve	Lieutenant	23 November 1916	24 November 1944
James Frankish Maguire	37 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flight Lieutenant	6 May 1915	14 September 1942
William Vaughan Mitchell	Winnipeg Grenadiers, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps	Lieutenant	19 May 1905	20 December 1941
Robert Riley Perry	407 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flight Lieutenant	31 December 1912	24 March 1944
John Samuel Ritchie	78 (RAF) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flying Officer	12 June 1917	13 June 1944
Arthur Evans Snell	42 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flying Officer	22 April 1911	16 October 1941
Errol Hilliard Treleaven	416 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force	Flight Lieutenant	1 June 1916	25 September 1944
William Ross Willard	Royal Canadian Air Force	Sergeant	5 August 1917	2 July 1943
George Dealtry Woodcock	Veterans Guard of Canada	Lieutenant	28 November 1886	11 February 1945

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Winnipeg Amphitheatre (49 Whitehall Avenue, Winnipeg)

Manitoba Business: Moody and Moore / MMP Architects

Memorable Manitobans: Gerard Alphonsus “Gerry” Baert (1906-1971)

MHS Centennial Business: Great-West Life Assurance Company

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Whitehall Apartments (100 Osborne Street North, Winnipeg)

Sources:

“Unveil a tablet,” Manitoba Free Press, 12 November 1921, page 19.

“Great-West Life plaque unveiled,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 November 1948, page 36.

For the names of First World War casualities from Manitoba who do not appear on any physical monument in the province, see the Manitoba Historical Society War Memorial. If you know of a name that is omitted from this list, please contact the MHS War Memorial Researcher Darryl Toews (darryl@mhs.mb.ca).

Soldiers of the First World War - Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial, Veterans Affairs Canada.

Financial support for research reported on this page was provided by the Manitoba Heritage Grants Program (2015-2016).

Great-West Life Building, 60 Osborne Street by Murray Peterson, Peterson Projects, February 2008.

We thank Gary Craven, George Penner, and Greg Petzold for providing information used here.

This page was prepared by Darryl Toews and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 7 September 2024

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