| Honorific Prefix: | Captain |
| Wynn Bagnall | |
| Honorific Suffix: | MC |
| Birth Date: | 10 February 1890 |
| Birth Place: | Sunderland, England |
| Death Place: | New York City, United States |
Captain Wynn Bagnall MC (10 February 1890 – 7 March 1931), was a Canadian soldier who distinguished himself in World War I.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] His obituary in The New York Times described him as a Canadian War Hero.[1] As a recipient of the Military Cross for gallantry, Bagnall's specific war record was the inspiration behind a statue in Winnipeg, Canada, by James Earle Fraser, designed to honour the heroism of Canadians who had fought and often died.[1] [6] [7] Bagnall was the model for the statue which was dedicated in December 1923 and 'inspired memory and reverence for lost Canadian soldiers in all the years it has stood'.[6] The statue was also described as 'one of the finest memorials yet produced' and won a gold medal for sculpture in New York City in 1925.[8] [9]
On 11 March 1931, Bagnall was buried with full military honours at Cypress Hills Cemetery, Long Island.[1]
Wynn Bagnall was born in Sunderland, England on 10 February 1890, the son of George Rhydero Bagnall, a British banker who died when Wynn Bagnall was seven, and Anne (née Hughes).[10] [11] He was educated as a boarder at Bedford Modern School.[10] [11] [12] After school, in 1906 Bagnall emigrated to Canada to become a rancher in Calgary,[13] returning to England in 1909 and then back to Canada to join the Bank of Montreal as a clerk in July 1910.[1]
At the outbreak of World War I, Bagnall enlisted as a Gunner in the 6th Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery, going to France in 1915.[14] Shortly after arriving in France, he wrote a letter to his old school to express his initial experience of trench warfare:[11]
In 1916 Bagnall was appointed Lieutenant in the 23rd Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery before being attached to the 5th Battery.[14] In 1917 he was Orderly Officer and then Adjutant in the 2nd Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery.[14] In March 2018 he was promoted to captain and joined the 58th Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery where for three months he was Acting Major.[10] [14]
In total, Bagnall won four medals during World War I including the Military Cross for 'marked gallantry and initiative' during the Second Battle of Cambrai.[1] [12] [15] [16] The citation to his Military Cross read:[17]
After the war, Bagnall returned to the Bank of Montreal.[10] James Earle Fraser considered Bagnall to be the embodiment of the entire Canadian army during the Great War.[9] As a model and inspiration for his work, Fraser didn't want a private or a general but an officer, and Bagnall had enlisted as a private rising to the rank of Captain through his dedication, determination and courage.[9] In Fraser's own words:[9]
The statue was described as 'one of the finest memorials yet produced' and won a gold medal for sculpture in New York City in 1925.[8] [9] At the granite base of the statue was placed a box containing a signed photograph of Sir Vincent Meredith, President of the Bank of Montreal, a signed photograph of Sir Frederick Williams-Taylor, a signed photograph of Sir James Atkins, Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, and the Bank of Montreal Memorial Book.[8] In his biography of James Earle Fraser, A.L. Freundich wrote about the Bagnall statue:[18]
Bagnall moved to New York City in 1920 to continue his career in finance.[10] He lived on Wall Street itself and later on East 55th Street in Manhattan.[19] [20] In the latter years of his life he was associated with S. W. Straus and the Fred F. French Company describing himself as a financial salesman and accountant.[1] [10]
Bagnall married Adelaide A. Clough in 1926 but they divorced in 1930.[10] He died on 7 March 1931 and was buried on 11 March 1931 with full military honours at Cypress Hills Cemetery, Long Island.[1] He was survived by his mother, Mrs. George Bagnall of Selsey-On-Sea, Sussex, England, together with two sisters and two brothers.[1] His obituary in The New York Times described him as a Canadian War Hero.[1]