When one enters Bedford's Green Hill Cemetery, so famous for its limestone art, the Wallner soldier stands like a sentinel approaching the Green Hills that give the place its name.
The Wallner families were stone people, as nearly all European families were who came to Bedford with the stone business in the first half of the twentieth century. As I remember, the Wallners were from Prussia. The story behind the carving is quite unique as well as tragic. I know the story from apprenticing stone carving under the great Frank Arena, who took part in the production of the statue in 1941.
The sad but true story of Michael F. Wallner relates that he was severely wounded in the trenches of World War I and was confined to a military hospital for the remainder of his days, tragically dying in 1940 at the age of 47.
The statue was produced at the old Arena Studio, owned by Francesco Arena, a native of Reggio Calabria, Italy. Though not in use, the studio still stands on 5th Street in Bedford's North Side. Many great carvers worked for Francesco Arena. The Wallner soldier is also quite unique in that it is one of the only figures I know carved from variegated limestone. This is stone of grey and buff shades mixed within the block. One can observe a large patch of grey on the figure's left leg.
The order was placed at the Arena Studio in 1941. William Aeillo, adolescent son of J. Ernest Aeillo, one of Arena's top carvers, was dressed in a WWI doughboy uniform with rifle and full attire and then photographed. Arena's eldest son, Frank- 42 at the time-used the photo to sculpt a 3/4-size model of the soldier. The clay model was then cast in plaster, using the waste mold process. Francesco Arena then chose his most favored carver, the great German Carver Fredrick Edler, to carve the soldier.
The lonesome Wallner soldier stands today as a testament to one young man among many who gave their lives for the preservation of our own great nation.
Lou Beretta is a journeyman stone carver in the Indiana Limestone Belt. For more information on his work and his contact information, visit www.stonecarveronline.com .
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