Canadian monument

The 'Canadien', as it is colloquially known, stands at the Kerselarekruispunt ('Vancouver Corner') of Brugseweg and Zonnebekestraat in Sint-Juliaan.

The statue can rightly be called one of the most beautiful monuments from the front region. It is located in a park with roses, conifers, and junipers.
The statue stands on a square pedestal with an arched projection on each side.
It is a white granite column over 10 meters high, topped with a bust of a helmeted Canadian soldier who appears to be contemplating the fate of his fallen friends. He stands with his head bowed towards the spot from where the cloud of chlorine gas advanced on April 22, 1915. His folded hands rest on an inverted rifle: the butt is up, and the barrel is in the ground. This posture 'Arms reversed' is the traditional military salute to the fallen. In large letters at the front of the column is 'CANADA'.

On the sides of the column, panels have been affixed with inscriptions in English and French that provide a concise summary of the Canadian contribution during the Second Battle of Ypres: 'This column indicates the battlefield where 18,000 Canadians held the British left flank against the first German gas attacks of April 22 - 24, 1915. Two thousand fell then and lie buried in the vicinity.' The inscription '... fell and lie buried nearby' replaces the former inscription '... fell and lie buried here'.
This last was somewhat misleading because the fallen are buried in cemeteries in the area and not, as is often assumed, under the monument.

At the foot of the column, along the right side, is the name of the designer and the year of design: F.C. Clemeshaw 1921. Frederick Chapman Clemeshaw from Regina (Saskatchewan) was himself part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium. After the war, he engaged in architecture. He died in 1958.
The stones of the column come from quarries in the

MarcMonballieu