Claude P. Dettloff was a humble man, but it's safe to say he'd be pleased to see his iconic Wait For Me, Daddy photograph immortalized in a war memorial. Candace Macpherson, who is Dettloff's granddaughter, has been following media reports about the City of New Westminster's plans to create a sculpture of the famous photograph near the spot where the shot was taken nearly 73 years ago. The city has commissioned Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales to create the Wait For Me, Daddy war memorial public artwork in downtown New Westminster.
"I think it's pretty neat," Macpherson told The Record. "I am pretty touched that the artistry and work of the man is still touching people."
Dettloff, a photographer for the Province newspaper, took the famous photo on Oct. 1, 1940 at Columbia and Eighth streets in New Westminster, as soldiers paraded down the hill. As his father passed by, fiveyear- old Warren "Whitey" Bernard broke free from his mother to reach out to his father who was marching past.
"I grew up with the picture," said Macpherson, a Vancouver resident. "I have one in my apartment as we speak. It was always in our den. Granddad was a very quiet, very humble, very kind man. He died when I was 16."
Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales, who have been creating public sculpture together for the last 16 years, are currently working on the piece in their studio in Barcelona, Spain. They have produced 28 public sculptures in Canada, the United States and Europe, including the Voice of the Land monument in Queen's Park, Toronto.
"Edwin and Veronica Dam de Nogales' proposal really stood out because of its innovative design and its use of elements mirrored in the new Anvil Centre and Westminster Pier Park," said Coun. Lorrie Williams. "We are delighted to be partnering with this world-renowned artist team on what will surely become an iconic landmark for the City of New Westminster." Wait For Me, Daddy, one of the most memorable photographs from the Second World War, was featured in Life magazine and other publications. The city states that it is the second-most requested photograph in the National Archives.
The city issued a call for artists in July 2012 for submissions for the creation of three bronze life-sized sculptures depicting the Wait For Me, Daddy photograph that will be installed on or near the place where the photo was taken. A budget of nearly $300,000 has been allocated to the project.
"We were not only intrigued with the subject matter, and the powerful image captured in photographic form by Dettloff, but also with the particular space," Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales said in a press release. "Hyack Square seems to be a crossroads of sorts. It stands with one foot in the past and one foot lunging into the future. This presents itself as an opportunity to create a powerful work which not only allows people to look back and remember, but also to look forward with hope."
The installation will be unveiled to the public in October 2014 in Hyack Square.
Bernard, who was nicknamed Whitey because of his white hair, was the boy in the photo seen reaching out to his father. The photo led to his participation in war bond drives during the war years, where he would join entertainment troupes that traveled to workplaces and put on a show and tried to sell bonds to workers.
Bernard told The Record in 2010 that his script encouraged people to buy a bond today and "help bring my daddy home," at which point the picture was revealed.
"It was a real tearjerker," he said.
Now living in Tofino, Bernard has been in touch with the city about its plans for the Wait For Me, Daddy photo. He's expected to help unveil the artwork in Hyack Square next year.
