If you were driving through Hopewell Cape this Thursday, you would have seen the sparks flying around the large German First World War Cannon as repairs were made to its metal work. The almost 100 years sitting in the square in Hopewell Cape were not the kindest to the large cannon, with considerable rust and corrosion around the base of the cannon where it rests on the concrete pillar.
Thankfully we have local expertise to take care of that, Todd Steeves of TP Downey & Sons (Hillsborough) was able to come to the museum and make the necessary repairs without having to move the cannon. It is fantastic that we were able to find someone local with the skills and equipment necessary to do the job right so that it lasts another 100 years.
Todd replaced the center brace and carriage bolts, the 2 brackets above center brace, and fixed the holes on side of cannon facing the road. When asked how the work went, Todd said, "The metal is a bit soft but with proper paint the metal should last another hundred years."
The large 10.5 Cm K14 German Cannon was captured at Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917, and was won by the Citizens of Albert County during the Victory Loans Campaign of 1919 for raising the greatest percentage of monies over their set goal. They raised $347,000.00 tripling their goal of $110,000.00. Pretty impressive for a county of less than 10000 people!
Next on the list of repairs are the concrete pads!
Now that's a story worth saving!
The Victory Cannon Campaign is raising funds to restore the two captured World War One cannons situated in the square in Hopewell Cape. These cannons were captured by Canadians during the Great War, and were awarded to the people of Albert County. You can donate online to the Victory Cannon Campaign here, and best of all you'll be sent a tax receipt! Click Here to Donate!
