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 of Winnipeg 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.
In early 2025, as part of a revitalization project at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street, the monument was moved to the Brookside Cemetery.
Bank of Montreal War Monument (2009)
Source: City of WinnipegSite 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)
MHS Centennial Organization: The Women’s Canadian Club of Winnipeg
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brookside Cemetery (3001 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg)
“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.
“WW I memorial moving to Brookside Cemetery to make room for Portage and Main reopening,” CBC News, 3 October 2024.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, June Dutka, and Jordan Makichuk.
Page revised: 28 June 2025
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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