Inaugurated in mid 2016, a sculpture commemorating more than 93,000 Canadians who fought in the Italian Campaign of World War II—an often overlooked but vital part of Europe’s fight for liberation from Nazi Germany—was unveiled beside Toronto City Hall. The battle referenced in the artwork occurred at Christmastime in 1943, when the Canadian Forces in the Italian Campaign of World War II fought a fierce battle to liberate Ortona, Italy from Nazi Germany. An ancient town on the Adriatic Sea, the medieval rubble on the narrow streets of Ortona forced Canadians to street-fight and viciously smash through buildings to ultimately liberate the devastated town.

During the entirety of the Italian campaign which lasted 20 months, Canadians along with the American, French and British troops fought to liberate Italy and force German resources to be rerouted from the Eastern Front to the Italian Campaign, easing the pressure in Germany’s attack against the Soviet Union. More than 26,000 Canadians were wounded during the Italian campaign, nearly 6,000 of whom had fatal wounds.

The 3D-printed sculpture depicts a 7-foot by 7-foot topographical map of Ortona illustrating the ruin and destruction the town endured during the battle, with each corner of the map guarded by figures of Canadian soldiers standing vigil. Lum took inspiration for the sculpture from photographs and paintings of the town’s destruction by Canadian artist Charles Comfort. Lum said the model is meant to be looked at with downcast eyes and is scaled to be engaging to people of all ages.