Boer War memorial

The Artist and his models
As his first and only equestrian statue, Hébert wanted to get it right. In order to achieve an accurate portrayal of a “soldier from Alberta” on horseback, Herbert did two things. First, he was sent a horse from Calgary. Alberta horses were regarded as especially strong horses and so it was not unusual that he would not simply just use any horse.
Apparently the good climate that bred uniquely strong horses wasn’t as beneficial for men, because the second thing Hebert did was request for a “typical Canadian army man type” to be sent to him from the Canadian Army – and he was given a new recruit fresh off the boat from the UK instead of an Albertan soldier. Hebert was sent Captain Thomas Henry Johnson who posed for the statue. Years later, his wife visited Calgary and told the story of how her husband had been the model.
Mrs. Johnson’s claims in 1967 set off a new debate as to who the soldier was. Talking to Herald reporter at the time, Mrs. Johnson said, “It is an excellent likeness of him.” The sculpture is also said, however, to be an excellent likeness of Eneas McCormick, the early Calgary saddler. McCormick’s children remember being told by their father that it was he who sat for Hebert. And, says Calgary lawyer Edward McCormick, “The face looks just like my father’s.”
The truth is Eneas McCormick did model for the monument. When Hébert came to Calgary to make the final arrangements for the monument, he decided to take the opportunity to see “the western horse in its own setting” and make a few alterations to the horse and rider. Hébert had McCormick dress as a South African War soldier to model for the piece.