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Canadian Veterans Memorial
Canadian Veterans Memorial
Victoria Park, London, Ontario, Canada

Canadian Veterans Memorial

In 1944-45, after fighting their way through Belgium, the Allied Forces, with a large proportion of Canadian troops, liberated the Netherlands. More than sixty years later, the Netherlands, and its emigrants worldwide have never forgotten this gift by Canada, who lost near 8,000 soldiers fighting for their freedom and whose bodies still lay in Dutch soil to this day.

On September 22, 2006, this memorial was given as a gift from the Dutch Community as an expression of thanks to Canada and its Armed Forces, for their role in the liberation of Holland and Belgium during World War II. It was presented to the WW2 Veterans of Canada and the City of London in Victoria Park.

This memorial consists of 3 sections. The first a unique musical Carillon made of 18 bronze bells suspended on a large stainless steel tower. The second element is a granite sculpture at the base of the Carillon showing the locations of Canadian Forces cemeteries in Holland and Belgium, where 7,600 Canadian WW2 graves are located. Thirdly, as is fitting for the Dutch, a beautiful garden has been created to encompass the entire site.

The concept for this memorial was originally inspired by members of the local Dutch community and further developed by myself - Gerard Pas, a Dutch born artist. The actual production of the Carillon’s elements was fabricated and constructed by local London businesses, with the exception to the 18 bells, which were cast in the Netherlands.

Remarkably, the monies used to create this memorial came almost entirely from donations of Dutch Citizens and their many friends in London and Area. In fact, some donations were made by the surviving spouses and children of Veterans who fought in those bloody battles that liberated the Netherlands.

This truly was a community event and one organized by the generosity of many.

Gerard Pas — London Canada 2006


Project Menu
A Carillon is a set of fixed chromatically tuned bells sounded by hammers. Carillons originated in the Low Countries, Holland and Belgium in the Middle Ages
Design
The design of the Liberation Sculpture and Memorial Carillon  - click here
Read and view the development / concept of the Memorial design.
Early concept drawings, renders, landscaping, final design, and model.
— click on above image
Fabrication
The fabrication of all components involved in the Memorial – click here
Read and view the fabrication of all the components for this Memorial.
— click above image —

Installation
The installation of the Memorial in Victoria Park, London Canada – click here
Read and view the final installation, construction and landscaping
of the Memorial in Victoria Park, London, Canada.
— click above image —
Dedication
The presentation of the Canadian Veterans Memorial – click here
Presentation of the Canadian Veterans Memorial.
Read and view the formal civic unveiling ceremony of
the Memorial at Victoria Park, London, Canada. Sept. 22, 2006.
— click above image —
Credits - Reviews - Texts - Links
Read the reviews, other texts, credits and visit other websites related to this project – click here
Read the media reviews, additional texts, credits of those involved,
and visit other important websites related to this project
Project Photo Calendar
Calendar of Memorial's progress in 2006  - click here
www.Gerardpas.com has provided a photographic calendar of developments as the Memorial progressed to its final completion in Victoria Park during 2006.
Simply click on the above image (saw blade) to open the photo calendar.
Photographs
See more of Gerard’s photographs taken of the Memorial throughout the coming years – click here
See additional photographs of the Memorial in Victoria Park taken by Gerard Pas. These images will be taken periodically throughout the seasons and posted here.



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