By Andrew Cruess James Wolfe Counter-Memorial This inaccurate bronze idol (Calgary, Alberta) is meant to signify the historical figure of James Wolfe. Wolfe was born on January 1727, and became a military officer who fought for the British Empire in present-day Canada. The monument shows Wolfe as a calm and venerable hero; the historical record, however, suggests that Wolfe was an awkwardly tall and lanky red-headed man, as well as an aggressive and reckless commander. During his life, Wolfe had a sickly complexion. He was continuously ill, an issue which affected both his reckless mentality and career choice. Because of his health problems, Wolfe was also a well-known hypochondriac who constantly fretted over his health. Wolfe was also a war-monger and a man who enjoyed the thrill of battle more than the strategies needed for victory. He reveled in violence and he employed cutthroat tactics in his military efforts. These included psychological warfare, shelling of unarmed civilians, and the razing of civilian lands. Wolfe’s military history is quite extensive and controversial. He fought as a young man in Europe, mainly during the the War of Austrian Succession. Wolfe fought at Flanders and Dettingen and keenly observed the battle of Culloden. He was also injured (by bullet) at a battle in 1747. Wolfe employed his aggressive style of leadership in North America during the capture of Louisbourg in July 1758. He then played a crucial role in the dangerously unorthodox and wholly fortuitous capture of Quebec. Wolfe was the reckless commander of a very effective group of soldiers, and his victory over the French (led by Montcalm), which effectively ended French sovereignty in present-day Canada, was due largely to luck and Wolfe’s intransigence. James Wolfe died because of these reckless ways; he was shot multiple times while attempting to charge across the Plains of Abraham on September 13th 1759. James Wolfe was (and has remained) the hero of the Anglophone Canadians, and the bane of Francophone Canadians. His efforts in North America, first at Louisbourg then later at Quebec, nearly obliterated French culture in Canada, and led to the downfall of New France. The effects of this French-English confrontation are still evident in modern Canadian society. This is due largely to the extent to which Wolfe terrorized and subjugated the French people during his assault on Quebec. The statue now stands, significantly, along Montcalm Crescent on the south side of Calgary, serving as a physical reminder of the dominance of Anglophones over Francophone Canada. James Massey Rhind This statue has had a long history. It was created by James Massey Rhind for the exterior of the Astor building in New York City. Rhind was born 9 July 1860 and worked in Edinburgh, Lambeth, and Paris before moving to New York. He died in 1936. Rhind made many monuments around the world, the most notable of which are his multiple works on the east coast of the United States. This monument was originally part of a set of four. The statue of Wolfe was the only one that depicted a military figure. The statue was removed from the Astor building between 1945 and 1950. It was then purchased in 1966 by a certain Eric Harvie, who moved it from New York to Calgary. In Calgary, It stood in front of the Alberta Science Center for 43 years before being put into storage at the Currie Barracks. In 2009, it was brought out of storage through the joint effort of Robert and Margaret Montgomery and the 78th Highlanders. It has now once again been returned to an area of affluence so as to represent the wealth and power of the area.

By Andrew Cruess

James Wolfe Counter-Memorial

This inaccurate bronze idol (Calgary, Alberta) is meant to signify the historical figure of James Wolfe. Wolfe was born on January 1727, and became a military officer who fought for the British Empire in present-day Canada. The monument shows Wolfe as a calm and venerable hero; the historical record, however, suggests that Wolfe was an awkwardly tall and lanky red-headed man, as well as an aggressive and reckless commander. During his life, Wolfe had a sickly complexion. He was continuously ill, an issue which affected both his reckless mentality and career choice. Because of his health problems, Wolfe was also a well-known hypochondriac who constantly fretted over his health. Wolfe was also a war-monger and a man who enjoyed the thrill of battle more than the strategies needed for victory. He reveled in violence and he employed cutthroat tactics in his military efforts. These included psychological warfare, shelling of unarmed civilians, and the razing of civilian lands.

Wolfe’s military history is quite extensive and controversial. He fought as a young man in Europe, mainly during the the War of Austrian Succession. Wolfe fought at Flanders and Dettingen and keenly observed the battle of Culloden. He was also injured (by bullet) at a battle in 1747. Wolfe employed his aggressive style of leadership in North America during the capture of Louisbourg in July 1758. He then played a crucial role in the dangerously unorthodox and wholly fortuitous capture of Quebec. Wolfe was the reckless commander of a very effective group of soldiers, and his victory over the French (led by Montcalm), which effectively ended French sovereignty in present-day Canada, was due largely to luck and Wolfe’s intransigence. James Wolfe died because of these reckless ways; he was shot multiple times while attempting to charge across the Plains of Abraham on September 13th 1759.

James Wolfe was (and has remained) the hero of the Anglophone Canadians, and the bane of Francophone Canadians. His efforts in North America, first at Louisbourg then later at Quebec, nearly obliterated French culture in Canada, and led to the downfall of New France. The effects of this French-English confrontation are still evident in modern Canadian society. This is due largely to the extent to which Wolfe terrorized and subjugated the French people during his assault on Quebec. The statue now stands, significantly, along Montcalm Crescent on the south side of Calgary, serving as a physical reminder of the dominance of Anglophones over Francophone Canada.

James Massey Rhind

This statue has had a long history. It was created by James Massey Rhind for the exterior of the Astor building in New York City. Rhind was born 9 July 1860 and worked in Edinburgh, Lambeth, and Paris before moving to New York. He died in 1936. Rhind made many monuments around the world, the most notable of which are his multiple works on the east coast of the United States.

This monument was originally part of a set of four. The statue of Wolfe was the only one that depicted a military figure. The statue was removed from the Astor building between 1945 and 1950. It was then purchased in 1966 by a certain Eric Harvie, who moved it from New York to Calgary. In Calgary, It stood in front of the Alberta Science Center for 43 years before being put into storage at the Currie Barracks. In 2009, it was brought out of storage through the joint effort of Robert and Margaret Montgomery and the 78th Highlanders. It has now once again been returned to an area of affluence so as to represent the wealth and power of the area.