The Volunteers/Les Bénévoles     2017

Halifax Women’s History Society Commission, Halifax, NS

The Volunteers/ Les Bénévoles is a Monument to the Women Volunteers of WW II, which celebrates the significant contribution of volunteer women to the war effort. Volunteerism and the many contributions of women are acknowledged through three life-size bronze figures depicting volunteer activities.

The standing figure of a young African Nova Scotia woman carries a tray serving mugs of coffee and hearty sandwiches for the soldiers. The serving of comfort food was a quintessential volunteer activity.

The seated figure exemplifies one of the most consistent of volunteer activities, knitting for the soldiers. A commissioned Mi’kmaq basket, from renowned basket maker Margaret Pelletier, holds the knitting on the woman’s lap.

The little girl figure represents the volunteerism of children and is pulling a wagon of broken toys and kitchen pots. These articles contained metal and rubber, among the most valuable of materials to recycle for the war effort.

Title, Medium and Dimensions

Figures and Artifacts – Life Size, Bronze

Bases - Nova Scotia Granite