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A restored WWI relic was unveiled in St. Catharines today in honour of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Retired veteran Douglas Reece occasionally ate his lunch on this piece of Canadian history while it was stored at Butler’s Barracks in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
“We contacted our historian with the serial number on it and he told me you’re not going to believe what you’re sitting on. Once he did, I just got the ball rolling.” said Douglas Reese from the Lincoln & Welland Regiment Museum.
Shocked by its historical significance, he put a team together to refurbish the century-old treasure.
“For this gun to come home, for some of the relatives of people who participated in the war, it’s like a piece of their family coming back.”
The 105-millimeter Howitzer German artillery gun was captured by Canadian soldiers during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in WWI.
Originally sent to the village of Queenston as a ‘war trophy’ from about 1926 to 1992, it was sandblasted and painted before moving to the barracks in 1997. Rusted and rotted, dozens of volunteers from the Lincoln & Welland Regiment Museum began restoration work on the gun in 2009.
“We don’t have any documentation that shows it actually did fire on the Canadians but we do have documentation that Canadians fired it at them. They flipped the gun around when they captured it and gave them a taste of their own gas shells.”
Veterans, their families and many others turned up to celebrate its unveiling today – a reminder of the past, the present and the future.
“We as Canadians seem to have a short memory between Remembrance Days of the fact that we continue to have serving members who are in fact in theatre.” said Garry Guitard from the
Soldiers from Hamilton, Niagara and across Canada stormed the ridge the morning of April 9th 1917. Under heavy fire, they continued to advance able to capture the ridge in four days. The victory came at a devastating cost.
“The Canadians that day alone lost, 3600 killed and 7000 wounded in the context of the times that was a very light casualty load considering the 100 000 or so Canadian troops and 25 000 British soldiers involved in that attack.” said Rt. Captain Tim Fletcher, RHLI.
“This gun was actually there. You could actually hear this gun going off. You can feel the heat from the barrel. You can just imagine yourself being there.”
A fundraising campaign was launched today. The Lincoln and Welland Regiment Foundation is hoping to raise $15-million to build a new Niagara Military Heritage Centre where the Vimy Ridge gun will eventually stay. Until then, it will be on display at the Lake Street Armouries in St. Catharines.
