The unveiling of the Wait for Me Daddy war memorial sculpture is garnering attention from near and far.
The City of New Westminster is set to unveil the sculpture in Hyack Square on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m. The sculpture is based on the iconic Second World War photograph taken by Province newspaper photograph Claude P. Dettloff.
“This started out as an idea, and it kept on gaining momentum. It has touched so many people on so many levels. The power of the image continues to resonate in the hearts and minds of Canadians,” Mayor Wayne Wright said in a news release. “We are proud to pay tribute to the sacrifice of the many Canadian soldiers and families, past and present, who remind us all that we stand on this soil in a peaceful and prosperous country because others have given much to make this possible.”
Dettloff took the famous photo on Oct. 1, 1940 as soldiers marched down Eighth Street toward Columbia Street. As they passed by, a five-year-old boy with white hair broke free from his mother to reach out to his father who was marching past.
The City of New Westminster has announced that special guests attending the event include Second World War veterans from the regiment on that day, Rifleman Charles Bernhardt and Rifleman Henry Kriwokon. Other guests confirmed to attend the unveiling include: B.C. Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon; Lt.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, Canadian Joint Operations Command; and Lt.-Col. Christa Oppers-Beumer, defence department, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Along with unveiling of the sculpture, Canada Post is issuing a stamp to honour this moment in the city’s history. The stamp will be available for sale for the first time at the event.
The Royal Canadian Mint has designed a $2 coin featuring the famous image and will swap old toonies for Wait for Me Daddy coins at the event.
Deepak Chopra, president and chief executive officer of Canada Post, will attend the ceremony, as will Marc Brûlé, interim president and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. Whitey Bernard – the boy in the photo – and Dettloff’s grandchildren Candace and Scott Macpherson will also be in attendance.
The City of New Westminster commissioned artists Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales to create the public art installation that will immortalize the photo, which is considered to be one of the most famous images from the Second World War.
Following the unveiling of the sculpture, the toonie and the stamp on Oct. 4 at 11 a.m., several events will take place in Anvil Centre, including the opening of the Wait for Me Daddy museum exhibit, an art exhibit by local artists based on the themes of the photograph, a vintage car display outside the centre at 777 Columbia St. and sales of the commemorative stamp and a toonie exchange.
