A piece of New Westminster's history is taking shape in an artist's studio in Barcelona, Spain.
The City of New Westminster has commissioned Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales to create the Wait For Me, Daddy war memorial public artwork in downtown New Westminster. The duo, who have been creating public sculpture exclusively together for the last 16 years, 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."
Claude 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, five-year-old Warren "Whitey" Bernard broke free from his mother to reach out to his father.
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 Wait For Me, Daddy photograph holds not only tremendous historical significance to New Westminster, but also to the rest of Canada, as it depicts the emotional connection between father and son, and the struggle that ensues when leaving to do one's duty in the armed forces," Mayor Wayne Wright said in a press release. "We are extremely proud that this important photograph will be immortalized in our city."
The city established a mayor's task force in 2011 to develop a public art piece to commemorate this historic photograph and 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 which will be installed on or near the place where the photo was taken.
According to a press release, the city received 15 submissions and a public art jury narrowed the selection down to five artists earlier this year.
"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 artwork 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.
"It was very much forgotten for about 25 years," he told The Record.
Wait For Me, Daddy is far from forgotten in New Westminster, which has big plans to commemorate the photo.
In addition to the public art piece, Canada Post has also agreed to issue a Wait For Me, Daddy commemorative stamp in 2014. The city is also seeking a National Historic Site designation and considering a celebration parade in 2015 to commemorate the end of the Second World War.
