In the triangular plaza adjoining the front steps of the Manitoba Métis Federation (formerly Bank of Montreal Winnipeg Main Office), the massive, nine-foot bronze statue of a Canadian soldier in First World War battle dress stands guard. Mr. A.F. D. MacGachen, manager of the branch, unveiled the Soldiers' Memorial on December 5, 1923. It was attended by next-of-kin of fallen staff heroes and present staff members. 1,409 men from the Bank of Montreal went to war, 230 did not return. Fifty-three men from the Winnipeg office went and nine did not return.
The bronze soldier is modeled after Captain Wynn Bagnall who had served through the war and was awarded the Military Cross. The noted American sculptor James Earle Fraser, reproduced the identical uniform and equipment used in France. For the design, Fraser was awarded a gold medal of honour at the Exhibition of Architecture and Allied Arts held in New York.
When the Bank of Montreal decided to erect a memorial to the 230 members of its staff who had fallen in the Great War, it arranged an international design competition. The winner, James Earle Fraser, submitted two designs, both of which were accepted. One was for the allegorical figure of Victory and it stands in the atrium of the Bank of Montreal Head Office.
