Price of Peace Monument

The Price of Peace monument is located in the Piazza Plebiscito in Ortona, Italy. This powerful memorial was commissioned by a group of Canadian Veterans who had held a special reunion in 1998 in the town where they had fought during the Second World War. Designed by Canadian artist Rob Surette, it was unveiled in 1999 to commemorate the sacrifices and achievements of our soldiers during the Battle of Ortona.

During Christmas 1943, the historic town of Ortona along the Adriatic coast was the scene of vicious fighting in the Italian Campaign. Its steep, rubble-filled streets limited the use of tanks and artillery and made it an infantryman's battle. Over the course of several days of hard combat, the Canadians often smashed their way through walls and buildings—"mouseholing" as they called it – to avoid having to attack through the deadly streets that were swept by enemy fire. It would be some of the toughest fighting of the war for the Canadians and many of them became casualties before the town officially fell on December 28, 1943.

The square where the Price of Peace monument is located was badly damaged and the base of the memorial incorporates bricks from buildings that had been smashed in the fighting. Atop the memorial is a bronze, life-sized sculpture of a wounded Canadian soldier being comforted by a comrade.