The Great War Memorial Committee was formed in 1920 for the purpose of erecting a memorial for the Veterans who lost their lives while serving in the Great War. In March 1921, a decision was made on the monument and an order was placed with Guinn & Simpson Company Limited of Portage La Prairie. Farmer’s volunteers to haul cement, gravel and stone free of cost to the committee.
The statue was made in Italy of Carrara marble and designed by Guinn & Simpson Company Ltd, Marble & Granite Dealers of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. On 26 July 1921, they sent a letter to the committee that the statue of a solider had left Italy. The soldier is in webbing (personal load-carrying equipment) and wearing a helmet. He stands at attention with his left leg slightly advanced and a reversed rifle at his side. The origin of the statue in Italy explains why the uniform was not 100% accurately Canadian. The carvers were usually careful to put a maple leaf where Canadian uniforms had this symbol (on the cap and collar).
On 24 August Guinn & Simpson shipped part of the memorial consisting of the rough bases to Foxwarren. The statue arrived in Montreal in August and on 5 October the remaining parts of the memorial were shipped by train. The Foxwarren Cenotaph was unveiled on 11 November 1921.
