Walter Seymour Allward

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Walter Allward, 1913

Walter Seymour Allward (November 18, 1876 - April 24, 1955) was a Canadian sculptor.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the son of John A. Allward of Newfoundland. Educated in Toronto public schools his first job was at the age of 14 as an assistant to his carpenter father. Allward then worked as a draughtsman for an architectural firm then modeled terra cotta decorative panels for the Don Valley Brick Company. There he showed skill in clay mold making. Allward would next become an apprentice to a firm of architects, however he had no interest in contracts or specifications. So he began to copy the drawings of Michelangelo. After experimenting with painting he moved on to sculpture.

His first commission was to create a monument in Toronto for the men who fought in the North-West Rebellion. This work would lead to other commissions such as the bronze figure of Sir Oliver Mowat. The South African War Memorial on University Avenue in Toronto is another commission that Allward won. It would also create a memorial to Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine that was placed on Parliament Hill. Allward is also the creator of the truth and justice statues outside of the Supreme Court of Canada. This was meant as a memorial to King Edward VII. He also designed numerous municipal cenotaphs around the country, including one in Stratford, Ontario. He created the memorial to Alexander Graham Bell in Brantford, Ontario and a memorial to William Lyon Mackenzie that is placed at Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario

Allward is probably most famous for designing the Vimy Memorial in France that commemorates the Battle of Vimy Ridge during World War I. He made 150 sketches of the Vimy monument before submitting the design which won the commission from the federal government. In June of 1922 he went to Europe and toured for more than a year to find the kind of stone he wanted, finding it in the ruin of Diocletian's Palace in city of Split, Croatia. The massive project was started in 1921 and completed in 1936.

Allward appeared as a character in Jane Urquhart's historical novel The Stone Carvers, much of which is set on the construction site of the Vimy Memorial, although the details of Allward's character are largely fictionalised.