Memorial

A reminder to members of City Daily Photo that the theme for April 1st is appropriately April Fool. I've taken my shots for the post, but had to really think outside the box on this one.

On a snowy day in the latter part of February I went over to the Ottawa Art Gallery for a visit after it had reopened following the most recent lockdown. Coming back, I came through Confederation Park, which lies between the Mackenzie King Bridge and City Hall to the south. It is home to several military monuments. Two of them, the newest and the oldest, are here. The Canadian Animals In War Memorial is the newest, a concept first proposed by Lloyd Swick, a veteran of the Second World War and Korean War, and designed by artist David Clendining. It includes plaques, the footprints of dogs and horses in the cement, and a statue of a working dog. It stands beside a cenotaph honouring the local dead of the South African War.

Not far away is a plaque that is a legacy of the Second World War. Canadian pilots flew dangerous missions over occupied Poland, particularly during the Warsaw Uprising. Some paid with their lives. This plaque honours them.

The biggest of the monuments is at the west end of the park. The National Aboriginal Veterans Monument stands here. On a large marble base is mounted a set of figures: animals and First Nations peoples with weapons and other items like a peace pipe. An eagle is at the top, with a bear, wolf, bison, and elk at the corners.

During the winter all sides of the monument are kept clear of snow for access. Here at the back, one gets a view towards the fountain, which serves as the last of the park's military monuments. It honours Colonel John By, the British engineer who oversaw the building of the Rideau Canal, which lies at the east end of the park.

One more item of note: a totem pole is here at the north side of the park. It was given to the city in 1971 to mark the centennial of the founding of British Columbia as a province.