Lieutenant Colonel George Harold Baker, M.P., 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, killed in combat on June 2, 1916 at the battle of Sanctuary Wood.
The monument to Lieutenant-Colonel George Harold Baker is one of a number of poignant memorials to the First World War installed in the Centre Block. It was commissioned in 1920 following the recommendations of special committees of the Senate and the House of Commons to commemorate the life, dedication and sacrifice of the only sitting Member of Parliament killed in action during the Great War. People pass daily by the monument located prominently in the House of Commons foyer without necessarily knowing anything about the man it commemorates.
George Harold Baker was born in 1877 in Sweetsburg, now part of Cowansville, in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. His family were United Empire Loyalists and had resided in the region since the late 18th century. They were a prominent political family in the Townships. At the time of Baker’s birth, his father, the Hon. George Barnard Baker, had already served in the Quebec National Assembly and had been elected three times as Member of Parliament for Missisquoi, Quebec. George Sr. was called to the Senate in 1896 and served as a Senator until his death in 1910.
The younger Baker followed his father’s footsteps in pursuing a career in law and established a successful practice first with his father in Sweetsburg, and then in Montreal. In 1911, he was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brome, Quebec. Along with his interest in law and politics, George Harold Baker assumed an active role in various militia units in his region, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the 13th Scottish Light Dragoons in 1913. With the outbreak of the war a year later, Baker volunteered for active service, retaining his seat in the House of Commons. Shortly afterwards, he was given authority to raise the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles, a unit comprised of volunteers from the Eastern Townships.
The battalion left for England in 1915 and was transferred to France in late October of that year. It was attached to the 3rd Canadian Division, which was assigned to the defence of the Ypres Salient in March 1916. On June 2, 1916, the Germans launched a massive four-hour long artillery barrage on the Canadian positions around Mount Sorrel in advance of an attack. The enormity of the barrage and its effect is difficult to fathom for a modern audience. Even at the time, authors struggled in their descriptions of the battle to convey the devastation wrought by four hours of relentless bombardment. In his history, entitled Canada In Flanders, Lord Beaverbrook described the shelling as follows:
“... the storm which burst on the 3rd Division at 8:30 that June morning was like a tropical tornado which presses men flat to the ground and suffocates them with the mere force of the wind, which uproots forests and hurls them headlong, obliterates all ancient landmarks and the houses and shelters of men and beasts, and leaves behind nothing but a tangled desolation from which a few survivors creep out scarcely sane enough to realize the catastrophe or to attempt to repair the damage.”
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The monument to Lieutenant-Colonel George Harold Baker is one of a number of poignant memorials to the First World War installed in the Centre Block. It was commissioned in 1920 following the recommendations of special committees of the Senate and the House of Commons to commemorate the life, dedication and sacrifice of the only sitting Member of Parliament killed in action during the Great War. People pass daily by the monument located prominently in the House of Commons foyer without necessarily knowing anything about the man it commemorates.
George Harold Baker was born in 1877 in Sweetsburg, now part of Cowansville, in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. His family were United Empire Loyalists and had resided in the region since the late 18th century. They were a prominent political family in the Townships. At the time of Baker’s birth, his father, the Hon. George Barnard Baker, had already served in the Quebec National Assembly and had been elected three times as Member of Parliament for Missisquoi, Quebec. George Sr. was called to the Senate in 1896 and served as a Senator until his death in 1910.
The younger Baker followed his father’s footsteps in pursuing a career in law and established a successful practice first with his father in Sweetsburg, and then in Montreal. In 1911, he was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brome, Quebec. Along with his interest in law and politics, George Harold Baker assumed an active role in various militia units in his region, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the 13th Scottish Light Dragoons in 1913. With the outbreak of the war a year later, Baker volunteered for active service, retaining his seat in the House of Commons. Shortly afterwards, he was given authority to raise the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles, a unit comprised of volunteers from the Eastern Townships.
The battalion left for England in 1915 and was transferred to France in late October of that year. It was attached to the 3rd Canadian Division, which was assigned to the defence of the Ypres Salient in March 1916. On June 2, 1916, the Germans launched a massive four-hour long artillery barrage on the Canadian positions around Mount Sorrel in advance of an attack. The enormity of the barrage and its effect is difficult to fathom for a modern audience. Even at the time, authors struggled in their descriptions of the battle to convey the devastation wrought by four hours of relentless bombardment. In his history, entitled Canada In Flanders, Lord Beaverbrook described the shelling as follows:
“... the storm which burst on the 3rd Division at 8:30 that June morning was like a tropical tornado which presses men flat to the ground and suffocates them with the mere force of the wind, which uproots forests and hurls them headlong, obliterates all ancient landmarks and the houses and shelters of men and beasts, and leaves behind nothing but a tangled desolation from which a few survivors creep out scarcely sane enough to realize the catastrophe or to attempt to repair the damage.”
Description of the Statue:
The 1.5 time life-size bronze memorial statue of Lieutenant-Colonel George Harold Baker, created by Robert Tait McKenzie in 1923 is located under a stone arch in the foyer of the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, Ontario. The statue rests on a granite plinth which sits on a stone base. Lieutenant Colonel Baker is seen wearing the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles' regimental uniform. On his head is a forage cap and cap badge. He wears a shirt and tie, a brown serge, and a leather Sam Brown. A leather strap crosses over his right shoulder and is attached to the front and rear of the Sam Brown. He has a pair of breeches on and a pair of long boots and spurs. He has a waterproof cape wrapped around his left arm. Standing at ease, his piercing eyes scan the utter destruction and carnage present on the the battlefield.
Le lieutenant colonel George Harold Baker, 5e bataillon Canadien de Fusiliers à cheval. Mort au combat le 2 juin 1916 lors de la bataille du Bois du Sanctuaire.
La statue du lieutenant-colonel George Harold Baker à l’édifice du Centre est l’un des nombreux monuments impressionnants dédiés aux victimes de la Première Guerre mondiale. Elle a été commandée en 1920 à la suite des recommandations de comités spéciaux du Sénat et de la Chambre des communes pour commémorer la vie du seul député tué au combat pendant la Première Guerre et pour souligner son dévouement et les sacrifices qu’il a consentis. Les passants déambulent tous les jours devant la statue située bien en vue dans le foyer de la Chambre des communes sans savoir nécessairement qui fut l’homme qui y est représenté.
George Harold Baker est né en 1877, à Sweetsburg, localité maintenant intégrée à Cowansville, dans les Cantons de l’Est, au Québec. Ses ancêtres étaient des loyalistes de l’Empire-Uni et ils étaient établis dans la région depuis la fin du 18e siècle. C’était une famille de politiciens bien en vue dans les Cantons de l’Est. À la naissance de M. Baker, son père, l’honorable George Barnard Baker, avait déjà été député à l’Assemblée nationale du Québec et avait été élu trois fois député de Missisquoi (Québec). George père a été nommé au Sénat en 1896 et y est resté jusqu’à sa mort en 1910.
Le jeune Baker a suivi les traces de son père, fait des études en droit et pratiqué le droit avec succès d’abord avec son père à Sweetsburg, puis à Montréal. En 1911, il a été élu député conservateur de Brome (Québec). En plus de s’intéresser au droit et à la politique, George Harold Baker a joué un rôle actif dans diverses unités de milice de sa région, atteignant le rang de lieutenant-colonel du 13th Scottish Light Dragoons en 1913. Avec le déclenchement de la guerre un an plus tard, Baker a offert ses services à l’armée canadienne tout en conservant son siège à la Chambre des communes. Peu de temps après, il a obtenu la permission de former le 5e Bataillon canadien de carabiniers à cheval, une unité constituée de bénévoles des Cantons de l’Est.
Le bataillon est parti pour l’Angleterre en 1915 et fut transféré en France à la fin octobre de la même année. Il faisait partie de la 3e Division canadienne dont la mission était de défendre le saillant d’Ypres en mars 1916. Le 2 juin 1916, les Allemands ont lancé un barrage d’artillerie massif qui a duré quatre heures sur la position canadienne autour du Mont Sorrel, en prévision d’une attaque. L’énormité du barrage et l’effet qu’il a eu sont difficiles à imaginer pour un auditoire moderne. Même à l’époque, les auteurs avaient du mal à trouver les mots pour décrire l’horreur de la bataille et rendre l’ampleur du désastre après quatre heures de bombardements soutenus. Dans son récit intitulé Les Canadiens en Flandre, Lord Beaverbrook décrit le bombardement comme suit :
« ... l’orage qui a éclaté sur la 3e Division à 8 h 30 ce matin de juin était comme une tornade tropicale qui écrase les hommes au sol, les suffoque par la seule force du vent, arrache les arbres et les projette en l’air, anéantissant tout point de repère existant, et les maisons et les abris des hommes et des bêtes, ne laissant derrière elle qu’un amas de débris, de désolation, d’où sortaient en rampant quelques survivants à peine assez sains d’esprit pour réaliser l’ampleur de la catastrophe ou tenter de réparer le dommage [traduction]. »
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Description de la statue:
La statue de bronze grandeur nature en bronze du lieutenant-colonel George Harold Baker, créée par Robert Tait McKenzie en 1923, a été aménagée sous une arche de pierre dans le hall de l'édifice du Parlement canadien à Ottawa, en Ontario. La statue repose sur une base en granit qui est posée sur un socle en pierre. On voit le lieutenant-colonel Baker vêtu de l'uniforme régimentaire du 5e Canadian Mounted Rifles. Il porte un chapeau arborant un écusson à l'avant. Il porte une chemise et une cravate, un manteau brun et un Sam Brown. Une lanière de cuir est fixée à l’avant et à l’arrière du Sam Brown et passe par dessus son épaule droite. Il porte des pantalons et une paire de longues bottes munies d'éperons. Il a une cape imperméable enroulée autour de son bras gauche. Debout, ses yeux perçants scrutent la destruction et le carnage sur le champ de bataille.