Vimy Memorial Band Stand

This memorial, the Vimy Memorial Band Stand, was erected in 1937 by the Kiwanis Club of Saskatoon in honour of the Canadians who fought at Vimy Ridge in 1917. The memorial was designed to serve as a centre where citizens could gather as a community to enjoy and participate in good music and was a further reverent tribute to the nations in the Great War. Vimy Memorial Band Stand was built in Kiwanis Park on the bank of the South Saskatchewan River facing the junction of 20th Street and Spadina Crescent. Built of concrete and painted white, the semi-domed roof, crowned with a lantern (a turret crowning a dome) is supported by eight pillars. Steps lead to the band area, which is enclosed by an iron balustrade.

Inscription

[bandstand/kiosque]

VIMY MEMORIAL

[plaque/plaque]

Vimy Memorial Band Stand

Presented to the City of Saskatoon by the Kiwanis Club of Saskatoon in 1937, this structure serves as a tribute to the Canadians who fought in France at Vimy Ridge during the First World War.

At Vimy Ridge in 1917, Canadian soldiers did something none of their allies could do. In a six day battle, fighting for the first time as a Canadian unit, the soldiers stormed and captured the strongest enemy position on the Western Front. The April 19 victory cost Canada 3,598 men
yet, it served to help identify Canada as a nation independent of the British Empire. A 1936 pilgrimage to Vimy inspired the construction of the Memorial Band Stand.

Crowd in Kiwanis Park surrounding the Vimy Memorial Band Stand. Photo courtesy Saskatoon Public Library, Local History Room.

[plaque/plaque]

ERECTED 1936-37
BY THE KIWANIS CLUB TO COMMEMORATE THE BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE 1917

Ce monument commémoratif, le Vimy Memorial Band Stand, a été érigé en 1937 par le Kiwanis Club de Saskatoon en l’honneur des Canadiens qui ont combattu à la crête de Vimy en 1917. Le monument commémoratif constitue un centre où les citoyens peuvent se rassembler en tant que collectivité pour apprécier de la bonne musique et en jouer. Il se veut aussi un respectueux hommage aux nations qui ont participé à la Grande Guerre. Le Vimy Memorial Band Stand a été construit dans le parc Kiwanis, sur la rive de la rivière Saskatchewan-Sud, à la jonction de la 20e Rue et du croissant Spadina. Construit en béton et peint en blanc, le toit en forme de semi-dôme orné d’une lanterne (tourelle placée au-dessus d’un dôme) est soutenu par huit piliers. Les marches mènent à la scène entourée d’une balustrade en fer où se produisent les musiciens.

Le texte de l’inscription figure dans la section anglaise.