100th Anniversary of the First World War 2014 - 2018
Proposed Stratford Commemoration: 100 Years Later
This is a proposal to commission a new bronze / metal sculpture in
Stratford. The beautiful Walter Allward Sculpture located at the
Cenoptaph near the Avon River in downtown Stratford is a very
important presence and should have an artistic response a century
after the First World War that inspired it’s creation.
The location for the new statue, across downtown near the Grand
Trunk Railway site, where 18 pounder shells were produced in WW1,
on the other side of City Hall, would balance and anchor the
downtown core. A competition for innovative and inspiring ideas
should be held for this new statue a deserving response to Allward’s
amazing sculpture from a dark past but pointing to a more positive
and enlightened future. What lessons have been learned?
The design of the new sculpture will be an inclusive community effort
with concepts and ideas invited from all segments of Stratford
including school students. A competition will be held to decide the
final design and sculptural artist. The maquette will be on public
display during the process of sculpting and casting. Opportunities will
therefore present themselves for discussion of history, art and design,
environmental initiatives. Cost estimate of completed bronze before
installation and site choice is $200,000.
The rise of the industrial era brought many new marvels and technologies.
Empire, bigger and faster ships, railroads, steel, technology and innovation
stoked the fires of nationalism and fostered fierce competition. International
conditions were ripe for conflict as a result of this race for dominance. The First
World War was a result of this industrial competition and a system of allied
political agreements.
In 1870, Stratford became the location of the Grand Trunk railroad engine shops
that developed into a major railway hub for Canada. The turn of the century was
a boom time in Canada and Stratford.
During WW1 the shops of the Grand Trunk Railroad turned to manufacturing
shells: 440,000 shrapnel shells each weighing 18 pounds were made here for the
war effort in Europe. By 1919 the Grand Trunk Railroad was bankrupt and taken
over by the Minister of Railroads and eventually became part of the Canadian
National Railroads.
World War One, a war of attrition, was the “beginning of the acceptance of the
unacceptable” as young men left the (partial) safety of the trenches to face often
certain death. The inhumanity and cruelty of that war is undisputed. The
repercussions of this (almost) century old violent conflict are still affecting the
world today. World War Two, twenty-one years later, was a direct result of World
War One as well as the roots of unrest still festering in the Middle East.
How do we take up the torch? Continue the quest of those men to make WW1
„the war to end all war‟? One hundred years later we have huge technological
advances and a century of violent conflicts. What can we learn and how can we
go forward with better methods for solving conflicts? The best memorial would of
course be an end to horrific violent conflict. A new and inspiring statue dedicated
to reaching towards a brighter future is a strong and important beginning.
Stratford is indeed very fortunate to have the Walter Allward statue, which is
located between the Avon River and Ontario St. This wonderful piece of art is a
beautiful and poignant memorial to the men who suffered, fought and died in
World War One. The dual figures of the statue express hope and despair. Walter
Allward is the artist / sculptor who created the exceptional Vimy Memorial in
France.
The ideals that emerged from WW1 as represented on the Vimy Memorial
are needed even more today:
“breaking the power of the sword”
“sympathy for the helpless”
“spirit of sacrifice”
“knowledge”
“justice”
“peace”
“truth”
A new sculpture would explore ‘the old lie’ that our security comes
from war and weapons instead of a vibrant, healthy natural world.
There is an undisputed connection between war and devastation of the
planet.
To reflect on the technological horrors of the First World War as the
beginning of the development of increasingly devastating weapons and
accelerating environmental decline as well as „acceptance of the
unacceptable‟. What have we done to „The Garden‟? Soldiers of WW1mowed down as if their lives had little worth. Trees / wild spaces sacrificed
today as if there is no sacred life force. What is the result of this blindness?
Continuing violent conflict and climate change. Today‟s choice: endless war
and environmental decline? Do we take a leap in consciousness? And create
harmony on a healthy planet…
Stratford is a visionary centre working towards a sustainable
and harmonious future. Let us commission a statue that will
light our way onto a new and hopeful path.
Respectfully submitted,
Lesley Walker-Fitzpatrick
Heritage Stratford