This site, once a nondescript bus loop on Sargent Avenue in Winnipeg, was re-designed in 2005 by David Wagner Associates to commemorate three First World War soldiers, Frederick William Hall, Leo Clarke, and Robert Shankland, who lived on the Valour Road (formerly Pine Street) and were awarded the Victoria Cross, the British Commonwealth’s highest military honour. Shaped like a Victoria Cross, the site has four bronze plaques mounted atop Tyndall-stone bases, along with a trio of metal silhouettes, one for each of the three soldiers along with a fourth plaque commemorating the significance of the Victoria Cross. The adjacent park at the northwest corner of Spruce Street and Sargent Avenue was dedicated at a ceremony on 27 May 2012, attended by Councillor Harvey Smith, Justice Minister / Attorney General Andrew Swan, and descendants of the three soldiers. The plaza is the site of local Remembrance Day ceremonies, previously always held at the Valour Road lightpost.
Valour Road Commemorative Plaza (April 2015)
Source: Nathan KramerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.89757, W97.18724
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Victoria Cross Recipients From Manitoba
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Valour Road Light Post and Plaque (Valour Road, Winnipeg)
“Remembrance Day,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 November 2005, page B1.
“City street, bus loop win praise,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 March 2006, page B1.
“Memorial to Pine Street heroes complete,” Metro New Winnipeg, 27 May 2012.
“Plaques honour Valour Road’s war heroes,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 May 2012, page B3.
“Valour reunited,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 November 2012, page A6.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 28 February 2023
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