Canada's Golgotha
Encyclopedia
Canada's Golgotha is a 32 inches (812.8 mm) bronze sculpture by the British sculptor Francis Derwent Wood
, produced in 1918. It illustrates the story of the Crucified Soldier
from the First World War and depicts a Canadian soldier crucified on a barn door and surrounded by jeering Germans. It is now on show at the Canadian War Museum
.
, London, was due to open in January 1919, just before the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty and Canadian Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden requested further investigation into the veracity of the story. Two more sworn statements were presented, and one from a Victoria Cross
holder attached a name to the victim: "Sergeant Brant." At this time the German government formally requested that the Canadian government publicly acknowledge that the story of the crucified soldier was untrue, or else provide evidence. The official Canadian response to the Germans was that they had sufficient evidence to believe that the account was true, but when the Germans demanded a part in the investigation, the sculpture was withdrawn from the exhibition and was not shown again until the 1990s.
The sworn testimony from the two English soldiers, who claimed to have seen "the corpse of a Canadian soldier fastened with bayonets to a barn door", was subsequently debunked when it was discovered that the part of the front involved had never been occupied by Germans. A government ban on exhibiting or even photographing the sculpture was in effect as late as 1989, when a request by Maria Tippett to include a photograph of it in an exhibition was denied. The statue was finally displayed again in 1992 in a Canadian War Museum
exhibition, "Peace Is the Dream". The sculpture was also displayed in 2000 at an exhibition entitled "Under the Sign of the Cross: Creative Expressions of Christianity in Canada" at the Canadian Museum of Civilization
in 2000, and again provoked controversy.
In 2002 British documentary maker Iain Overton
uncovered evidence that the crucified soldier did exist, and was actually a Sergeant Harry Band (not "Brant").
Francis Derwent Wood
Francis Derwent Wood RA was a sculptor, born in Keswick, Cumberland, in England's Lake District.-Early life:Wood studied in Germany and returned to London in 1887 to work under Edouard Lanteri and Sir Thomas Brock; he taught at the Glasgow School of Art from 1897 through 1905 and was professor of...
, produced in 1918. It illustrates the story of the Crucified Soldier
The Crucified Soldier
The Crucified Soldier refers to the widespread story of an Allied soldier serving in the Canadian Corps who may have been crucified with bayonets on a barn door or a tree, while fighting on the Western Front during World War I...
from the First World War and depicts a Canadian soldier crucified on a barn door and surrounded by jeering Germans. It is now on show at the Canadian War Museum
Canadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the museum covers all facets of Canada’s military past, from the first recorded instances of death by armed violence in Canadian history several thousand years ago to the country’s most recent...
.
History
It was to be included in the exhibition of the Canadian War Memorial Fund collection, and was widely publicized before the exhibition opened. The exhibition, at Burlington HouseBurlington House
Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in London. It was originally a private Palladian mansion, and was expanded in the mid 19th century after being purchased by the British government...
, London, was due to open in January 1919, just before the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty and Canadian Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden requested further investigation into the veracity of the story. Two more sworn statements were presented, and one from a Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
holder attached a name to the victim: "Sergeant Brant." At this time the German government formally requested that the Canadian government publicly acknowledge that the story of the crucified soldier was untrue, or else provide evidence. The official Canadian response to the Germans was that they had sufficient evidence to believe that the account was true, but when the Germans demanded a part in the investigation, the sculpture was withdrawn from the exhibition and was not shown again until the 1990s.
The sworn testimony from the two English soldiers, who claimed to have seen "the corpse of a Canadian soldier fastened with bayonets to a barn door", was subsequently debunked when it was discovered that the part of the front involved had never been occupied by Germans. A government ban on exhibiting or even photographing the sculpture was in effect as late as 1989, when a request by Maria Tippett to include a photograph of it in an exhibition was denied. The statue was finally displayed again in 1992 in a Canadian War Museum
Canadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the museum covers all facets of Canada’s military past, from the first recorded instances of death by armed violence in Canadian history several thousand years ago to the country’s most recent...
exhibition, "Peace Is the Dream". The sculpture was also displayed in 2000 at an exhibition entitled "Under the Sign of the Cross: Creative Expressions of Christianity in Canada" at the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
in 2000, and again provoked controversy.
In 2002 British documentary maker Iain Overton
Iain Overton
Iain Overton is a British documentary maker born on 3 August, 1973. He has worked for the BBC and ITN and worked in over 85 countries around the world....
uncovered evidence that the crucified soldier did exist, and was actually a Sergeant Harry Band (not "Brant").