In March of 1919, students at Nutana Collegiate (called Saskatoon Collegiate Institute until 1923) announced they would establish a memorial for the 29 alumni soldiers who died in the First World War. Principal Alfred J. Pyke instead suggested creating a Memorial Art Gallery that consisted exclusively of paintings by Canadian artists. They purchased one painting by a different artist for each fallen soldier.
Harry Britton’s March Thaw in Ontario was acquired in 1919 and dedicated to Private Richard Edmund Kreutzwieser. It is hung in the auditorium on the top floor of the school. Richard attended Saskatoon Collegiate Institute from 1913 to 1915. He enlisted in February of 1916 and was killed at the Somme on 21 October 1916.
