Walter Seymour Allward (18 November 1874 – 24 April 1955) was a Canadian monumental sculptor best known for the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Featuring expressive classical figures within modern compositions, Allward's monuments evoke themes of memory, sacrifice, and redemption.

Allward's 1917 heroic monument, the Bell Telephone Memorial, has been seen as the finest example of his early works. It brought the sculptor fame and led to Allward later creating the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, his most renowned work. Some of the sculptor's works have also been acquired by the National Gallery in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In addition to his sculptural works, Allward produced a series of approximately one hundred allegorical drawings exploring the subject of war at the onset of the Second World War. Allward also designed numerous municipal cenotaphs around the country, including the Stratford Memorial (1922), the Peterborough Memorial (1929) and the Brant War Memorial (1933).

Bell Memorial

right|200px|Dedication of the memorial, including Alexander Graham Bell, members of his family plus committee members

In 1906 the citizens of the Brantford and Brant County areas formed the Bell Memorial Association to commemorate the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in July 1874 at his parents' home, Melville House, in Brantford, Ontario. Allward's design was the unanimous choice from among 10 submitted models, winning the competition. The memorial was originally to be completed by 1912 but Allward did not finish it until five years later. The Governor General of Canada, Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire, ceremoniously unveiled the memorial on 24 October 1917. In June 1922, Allward set up a studio in London, England and toured for more almost two years to find a stone of the right colour, texture, and luminosity for the memorial. He eventually found it in the ruins of Diocletian's Palace. Known as Seget limestone, it was a stone that came from an ancient Roman quarry located in Croatia. The stone had to be first quarried then shipped by boat to France and then transported to Vimy Ridge by truck and by rail.

left|thumb|Statue carving in progress|alt=The partially completed statue of a reclined woman sits to the right of a half sized model of the same statue. It appears the work is being conducted inside a temporary structure.

Allward chose a relatively new construction method, a cast concrete frame to which the limestone was bonded. The memorial base and twin pylons contain almost 6,000 tonnes of Seget limestone on a bed of about 15,000 tonnes of concrete. The 20 sculptured symbolic figures, representing Christian and universal virtues, were actually carved where they now stand, from the huge blocks of stone. The professional carvers used life-size plaster models produced by Allward in his London studio and an enlarging instrument called a pantograph to make calculations that allowed for reproducing the figures at double life-size. All this work was carried out inside temporary studios built around each figure, including those at the top of the pylons. The first figure to be completed was Canada Bereft, which stands at the top of the front wall of the Vimy Memorial and recalls traditional depictions of the Virgin Mary in mourning. Canada Bereft is now one of the most well-known sculptures in Canadian art.

thumb|Left-front view showing an entire aspect of the Memorial|alt=The Vimy memorial from the front facing side.

Most of the original plaster figures are stored at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

The final step called for carving the names of 11,285 Canadians who were killed in France and are buried in unknown sites on the memorial's walls. The time required to build the massive concrete and steel base, to obtain some 6,000 tons of stone from Croatia, to build roads and clear the site of mines and graves, as well as other issues, led to significant delays. In 1930, Prime Minister R. B. Bennett insisted that the project be completed by 1932 but that deadline was missed by four years. The total cost was approximately $1.5 million. || 1933 || Brantford, Ontario || ||

|-

| Canadian National Vimy Memorial || 1936 || Vimy Ridge (near Vimy, Pas-de-Calais), France || ||

|-

| Bust of William Lyon Mackenzie || 1940 || Queen's Park, Toronto || || 100px

|}

Honours

In 1944, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George "for distinguished service to Canadian Art". He was also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. On 30 June 1938, he was recognized by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in a motion before the House of Commons of Canada which stated "that this house desires particularly to express its appreciation of the services of Mr. Walter S. Allward, who, as the designer and Canadian War Memorials architect of the memorial at Vimy, has given to the world, a work of art of outstanding beauty and character. Through the years to come the Vimy Memorial will remain the symbol of Canada's efforts in the war, and its tribute to those who, on the field of battle, sought to preserve the free institutions of mankind."

Allward has been designated as an Historic Person in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations.

Legacy

The art of Walter Allward lives on in numerous substantial monument and designs in Canada and abroad. He was first elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1903, and his bronze diploma work of 1920, The Storm, was acquired for the National Gallery of Canada. He is a character in Jane Urquhart's book The Stone Carvers.

References

;Bibliography

  • Toronto Globe and Mail, 25 April 1955
  • Toronto Star, 25 April 1955
  • Walter S. Allward: Life & Work by Philip Dombowsky published by the Art Canada Institute.
  • War Art in Canada: A Critical History by Laura Brandon published by the Art Canada Institute.
  • Queen's University – Walter Allward Fonds
  • Biography at the National Gallery, Canada
  • The Sculptures on the Vimy Ridge Memorial
  • Ontario Plaques – Walter Seymour Allward, R.C.A. 1876–1955
  • Walter Seymour Allward fonds at Queen's University Archives
  • Stone Bodies in the City , Tonya Davidson
  • Bell Telephone Memorial
  • Walter S. Allward Collection at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario