Résumés
Abstract
In 1923, The Volunteer monument in Almonte, Ontario was erected and dedicated to the district’s soldiers who fell in the Great War. It was designed by renowned sculptor and professor, R. Tait McKenzie, and modelled after the late Lt. Alexander George Rosamond, heir to Almonte’s esteemed Rosamond family paper mills. The seemingly simple design of a pensive bronze soldier perched atop a stone plinth, flanked by the names of his fallen comrades, is anything but simplistic in its symbolism. This article details the background, conception and realization of The Volunteer, considering the ways in which it reflects the history of the peoples who settled the region, and the collective Great War experience of Almonte and greater Lanark County. Further, in as much as the monument was specifically raised to honour the lost men of Almonte and the Township of Ramsay, this article questions whether, and in what ways, it succeeds or falters in its purpose.
Résumé
En 1923, le monument « The Volunteer » (le volontaire) fut érigé à Almonte, en Ontario, et dédié aux soldats du district tombés au combat au cours de la Grande Guerre. Il fut conçu par le sculpteur et professeur connu, R. Tait McKenzie, et inspiré par le regretté lieutenant Alexander George Rosamond, héritier des prestigieuses usines de papeteries de la famille Rosamond d’Almonte. La structure apparemment simple d›un soldat pensif en bronze perché au sommet d’un socle en pierre, flanqué des noms de ses camarades tombés au combat, est tout sauf simpliste dans sa symbolique. Dans cet article, nous allons examiner les origines, la conception et la réalisation de ce monument, tout en tenant compte de l›histoire des peuples qui se sont établis dans la région et de l›expérience collective de la Grande Guerre par les habitants d’Almonte et du comté de Lanark. De plus, dans la mesure où le monument fut spécifiquement érigé pour honorer les hommes perdus d’Almonte et du canton de Ramsey, cet article remet en question le succès du projet.
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Biographical note
Kelly Morrison (M.A. History, U. of T.) is interested in the First and Second World Wars, specifically war commemoration, sacrifice and societal trauma as well as specific war memorials. She also has a particular passion for smaller Canadian regions and societies, influenced by factors such as early Canadian settlement, and lesser known chapters of Canada’s past, such as the Child Migrant Programme and its influence on Canada’s contribution to the Great War. A previous article was published in Volume 4 of Imaginations, the University of Toronto’s Journal for Canadian Studies. Ms. Morrison is currently at work on her PhD. Thesis.