Continuing to honour the sacrifices of those who fell during WWI
The World War One memorial statue that once stood guard in front of BMO’s historic Winnipeg main office on the corner of Portage and Main has been relocated to Brookside Cemetery’s Field of Honour. On April 9, 2026, the 109th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), City of Winnipeg, and BMO took part in the statue rededication ceremony to honour the lives lost during the First World War.
The 9-foot-8-inch bronze statue was first erected in 1923 as the result of an international competition organized by BMO. Artists were asked to design a statue to commemorate the BMO employees who fell during the war. The winner of the competition, James Earle Fraser, modelled the statue after Captain Wynn Bagnall in full battle dress. Bagnall was a BMO employee before entering the Canadian Field Artillery in 1914 and receiving the Military Cross for his bravery in battle. This statue would earn Fraser the Gold Medal of Honor at the New York Exhibition of Architecture and Allied Arts in 1924.
In 2020, BMO’s historic Winnipeg premises were sold to the MMF, where they then became caretakers of the statue. When construction began on the concourse at Portage and Main, the statue had to be removed and the MMF gifted the statue to the city in October 2025. At Brookside Cemetery, the statue of Captain Wynn Bagnall will continue to serve as a testament to the sacrifices made by those who answered the call of duty.