The Old Soldier, War of 1812 Memorial was erected by the British Army and Navy Veterans' Association. It honours the dead of the War of 1812 and was erected on the site of an old burial ground used between 1794 and 1863 for soldiers and their families from nearby Fort York.
The cornerstone was laid on July 1, 1902, and featured a time capsule, including newspapers, coins, and other documents of the day. Veterans of several wars were on hand for the ceremony, including those who had served in the Crimean War, Second Opium War, India’s First War of Independence, Second Anglo-Aghan War, Fenian Raids, North-West Rebellion, and the South African War. The official unveiling was on July 5, 1907, after nearly 20 years of planning and fundraising.
The memorial was designed and constructed by Walter Seymour Allward. He designed a bronze half-length figure of an old one-armed soldier in uniform of 1812, holding his military cap, the George IV medal on his chest and the end of one empty sleeve pinned up. Allward emphasizes the Veteran's powerful response to the suffering caused by war and the experience of the misery of war is reflected in his haunted expression and pose.
