Angel of Victory (Coeur de Lion MacCarthy, 1921) — Attraction in Vancouver

Installed in 1921, this bronze sculpture by Montreal artist Coeur de Lion MacCarthy is one of three identical sculptures installed in Canada. The Angel of Victory (French: L'Ange de la Victoire) is a statue crafted by London-born sculptor Coeur de Lion McCarthy (1881–1979), first installed in Montreal's Windsor Station, in Quebec, Canada. It was commissioned in 1922 in memory of the 1,116 Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) employees who died in World War I. Copies of the statue were also installed at CPR stations in Vancouver and Winnipeg Canada.......The bronze, seven foot tall statue shows a fallen soldier being carried up to heaven by a female angel. It is on a pedestal inscribed:

To Commemorate Those in the Service of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company Who at the Call of King and Country, Left All That Was Dear to Them, Endured Hardship, Faced Danger and Finally Passed Out of Sight of Men by the Path of Duty and Self Sacrifice, Giving Up Their Own Lives That Others May Live in Freedom. Let Those Who Come After See to It That Their Names Are Not Forgotten. / 1914–1918

After World War II, the years 1939–1945 were added to the inscription. The Vancouver copy of the statue was used in a piece by Canadian street artist Richard Hambleton, who had instructed that it be released only after his death, in 2017.Created in 1974, the piece depicts the young artist in place of the fallen soldier, his body pierced by...

Emotionally charged, gripping, peaceful,ethereal, artistic excellence all come to mind when I visit Coeur De Lion McCarthy's bronze masterpiece. The moment of life and death captured in the arms of the Angel of Victory creates a stunning depiction of the heroic soldier passing into Valhalla. You can tell he was a WW1 soldier by his hobnailed boots and Puttees.Angel of Victory honors the 1150 CPR Workers who lost their lives in the great war. Coeur de Lion was trained by his Father, a master of monumental bronze and stone memorials. Coeurs's work with Cleaphus Soucy on the Canadian Parliament building is a spectacular array of mythical beasts,floral motifs,animals and reliefs. Installed in 1921 and cast in bronze. Coeur De Lion McCarthy lived artfully until the age of...

Sad and beautiful, the angel of victory pays homage to Canadian Pacific Railway workers whom served in WW1. While remaining a powerful and moving tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, the sculpture also gently reminds us of the futility of war.

It is very much worth you while to visit if you are in the area and to spend some time honouring the fallen.

There are two additional copies of this statue across Canada, one in Winnipeg and the other...