It is said that Walter studied at Central Technical School but they fail to mention the teacher John Lisney Banks as the sculpting professor at the time. This unknown artist will be another person whom I will biograph with the little information available at this time.
Canada had very little statues at the beginning of the 1900's and those that were here were done by European or French artists. It took the "Pixley memorial 1896 in the cemetery in London Ontario and the North West Batochet Rebellion unveiled in 1895 to get Allward started in the monument memorial business. The statue to the president of The Interdependent Order Of Foresters, Dr. Oronyatekha 1898 cast in Philadelphia. There are a whole series of commemorative busts done of famous people both in Politics and public life. I have gone to the cemetery in Ottawa for one such work as it stands in the sunlight with dripping patina to make it more interesting. This F. Davin bust was a good find as were all the others in Brantford and those now in the Ontario Parliament collection.
The years have rolled past and the finding of his early work still goes on. There is a fine Library paper in the Fine Art Department at Queens University in Kingston as well as the papers and letters for the Vimy memorial in France. Finding the plaster models in crates in Ottawa in 1969 was a thrill but never amounted to me seeing them unveiled. There are a few of his plaster casts in the Museum in the Army Signal Corp that holds the figure of "Canada" and two reclining figures. A real fine display to say the least.
There are War memorial in Peterborough, Brantford, Toronto and then some peaceful ones to William Lyon McKenzie near the Parliament buildings in Toronto.
In Queens Park alone you will find many works attributed to W.S.Allward. They are typical memorials that stand to commemorate those that worked and founded this Canada of ours.
The Compact Disc that I have to go with my biography has 124 photos in all. And tells a story of just what this man did during his lifetime. I have talked to those that knew him and they say things that I will not mention for they are not mine to repeat. Knowing what I do about the competitive field in which these other sculptors worked it is no wonder very little cooperation existed. One competition after after another just to make a living. The whole setup to me had all the built-in disaster anyone would want.
Works of designs were always covered to keep them a secret from those also competing for the same statue. The works were often carried out in someone carving the relief's that decorated the Memorial. Stone carvers such as Gullett's and Louis Temporali later in the 1950's were not uncommon. The history alone would fill a book and I am not into history with so much it hidden in personal records. Architects got involved too to assist to artist including Mr. Chapman, Marani, John Pearson, Maurice Klien, Mr. Sommerville used sculptors to decorate many of their buildings.
The story of granting the commissions for the busts that became the Provincial Museum collection up to 1930. After that time the whole thing fell apart and the works got dispersed all over if not destroyed. That story is most interesting and I was in on a bit of that one.
The infighting between Allward, F.A.T. Dunbar, Mildred Peel, Hamilton T.C.P. MacCarthy, John Lisney Banks, Emanual Hahn, This is not to mention the Sculptors from Quebec, P. Hebert. Laliberte, O. Gratton, E. Soucy, L. Valliere, to but mention these few , divided those artists forever. Dunbar left for the U.S.A., Miss Peel gave up and got married, MacCarthy left for Ottawa until his death in his 90's, J.L.Banks left for the U.S.A. as well as Dunbar.
&nsbp;This left a big hole in our artists until Misses Loring and Wyle came from the U.S.A., Jacobine John from England, Alfred Howell from England also, Fritz Winkler from Germany
No one has uncovered this information prior to my search nor are they going to do it at this time. It is no wonder when the Sculptors who came
I like when they write about our sculptors and leave out who were in the same game playing the same tug of war. We have a history full of events and Walter S. Allward I am glad to say was in that ball game. That is what our history is made from and we cannot change it.
The statues that adorn out Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City was done by these artists and we have the right to know them.
I do not have too much written other then this survey in front of you now. I bigger biography could get written but it will have to wait for a later edition.
I hope that this short biography of W.S.Allward will serve what it will and you can go to the sites via photos or just visit the statues one by one for I have them all recorded and photographed. I must thank those that added their works to my collection. The credits are too long to mention for some of them are private. I left out those of the National Gallery of Canada and others. There is enough Public information available.
When you hear and read what I learned what went on for the first 50 years from 1900 to 1950 you will shake your head in wonder. I have to get this subject covered before I leave this planet.
