The Great War Memorial was commissioned by the Col. Macleod Chapter of the Independent Order of the Daughters of the Empire. It was dedicated in June 1924, “to the imperishable glory of the men of this province (Alberta) who fought and died for their King and Country in the Great War.”
Originally called the Victory Statue, the memorial features a bronze statue of an infantry soldier that was sculpted by Montreal sculptor Coeur de Lion MacCarthy and cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co. of Mt. Vernon, New York. The statue depicts a young Canadian soldier exultant over news of the signing of the Armistice. With uplifted rifle he stands, bareheaded, the attitude denoting victory and exaltation. The statue is mounted on a pedestal of Bedford stone.
Coeur de Lion MacCarthy, the son of sculptor Hamilton McCarthy, produced numerous commemorative works after the First World War, including: Winged Victory in British Columbia; Great War Memorial and Lethbridge Cenotaph in Alberta; Winged Victory in Manitoba; County of Brome War Memorial, Verdun Victory Memorial, Monument to the Brave and Winged Victory in Quebec; Clifton Hill War Memorial and Woodstock Cenotaph in Ontario.
