Dedicated to sacrifice, the Monument des braves stands as a solemn reminder. It commemorates those who died in the two world wars. This cenotaph is in Parc Outremont. It pays tribute to the fallen and ensures their memory lives on.
In 1925, the Monument des braves was inaugurated. Edward Mortimer Macdonald was the minister of defence at the time. He attended the inauguration. Henri Hébert was the sculptor. He collaborated with Montreal architect John Roxburgh-Smith. Together, they designed the white-marble stele.
The names of the dead soldiers are inscribed on the stele’s surface. It is a wall of sacrifice. Hébert named the memorial’s main element. It is called “La Ville d’Outremont pleurant ses morts sous l’ombre du drapeau.” This translates to “the City of Outremont weeps for its dead under the shadow of the flag”. A bronze sculpture sits atop the stele. It represents the city of Outremont mourning its sons’ deaths. The sculpture shows a young woman crying. Her right arm is behind her. Her palm faces outward in a gesture of grief.
The sculpture’s modernist style has an interesting inspiration. Hébert admired Auguste Rodin. The figure was inspired by Rodin’s sculpture Meditation or the Inner Voice. Hébert expressed his admiration in 1918.
The two world wars were major events. They spanned from 1914 to 1918 and from 1939 to 1945. About 1.4 million Canadian soldiers participated in these conflicts. Tragically, 118000 lost their lives. Soldiers from Outremont were among these victims. They were both Anglophones and Francophones. They fought side by side for their country.
The Monument des braves was initially dedicated to victims of the First World War. After 1945, new inscriptions honored victims of the Second World War. These engravings were added to the monument’s marble wall.
Henri Hébert was born in Montreal in 1884. He was the son of sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert. Henri trained at the École des beaux-arts and the École des arts décoratifs in Paris. He returned to Montreal in 1909. Hébert divided his career. He worked on commissions and taught. In 1910, he joined McGill University’s School of Architecture faculty. In 1923, he taught modelling. He taught at the Conseil des arts et manufactures at the Monument national. Hébert received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal in 1940. He was also an associate member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Hébert died in Montreal at age 66.
The Monument des braves stands as a testament to their courage. It serves as a place for reflection. It is a reminder of the cost of war.