Museum Website The Most Storied Gun in Canada
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 14, 2017
HOPEWELL CAPE, NB - From the hills of Vimy Ridge to the shores of the Bay of Fundy, the captured war trophy that sits in Hopewell Cape, NB has a story like no other in the world. The cannon was captured at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917 by the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Then turned on the enemy by the Canadian 6th Artillery Brigade on April 11, 1917 firing several thousand rounds. From there is was won by the citizens of Albert County in the Victory Loans Competition of 1919, finally arriving in Hopewell Cape on March 4, 1920. It is a story of courage, sacrifice and most of all enormous accomplishment.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 14, 2017
HOPEWELL CAPE, NB - From the hills of Vimy Ridge to the shores of the Bay of Fundy, the captured war trophy that sits in Hopewell Cape, NB has a story like no other in the world. The cannon was captured at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, 1917 by the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Then turned on the enemy by the Canadian 6th Artillery Brigade on April 11, 1917 firing several thousand rounds. From there is was won by the citizens of Albert County in the Victory Loans Competition of 1919, finally arriving in Hopewell Cape on March 4, 1920. It is a story of courage, sacrifice and most of all enormous accomplishment.
The Hopewell Cape cannon, the 10cm k14 s/n 590 (hereafter 590) was captured on the first day of the Vimy Ridge offensive on April 9, 1917. It was captured by the 27th Battalion known as the City of Winnipeg Battalion. It is incredibly lucky for us that the Commanding Officer of the 27th Battalion kept impeccable battalion war dairies which recorded every facet of the attack.
He wrote, “There was momentary pause while a machine gun opened up on the left, a couple of well directed rifle grenades soon took care of that. On the right, the German gunners of one company of heavy guns opened fire at point blank range with muzzle bursts. The battalion charged the last 50 yards with a cheer and leaped into the gun pits, where the gunners put up a stout fight. Captain Lane seized the guns, put out of action those of the crew who resisted and took the remainder prisoners, and prevented the guns from being dismantled. At 1:50 pm the signal of three white very lights was sent up showing that they were in touch with both flanks and in the possession of their whole portion of the Brown objective. By 4:00 pm the battalion had captured the village of Farbus.”
It is fortunate that the Commanding Officer of the 27th Battalion was so precise in his record keeping, for we know the exact location on the battlefield where the 590 was captured. If you calculate the coordinates of this map and compare it to current maps you can pin-pint the exact location today on Google Earth: it currently is a playground!
One of the consequences of the massive artillery bombardment during the attack on Vimy Ridge, was the absolute destruction of the terrain, and this coupled with the rain and snow made the ground almost impassable with mud. Once the Canadians gained control of their objectives they tried to move their artillery forward but found the ground just swallowed up the massive artillery pieces. At the end of day two of the battle (April 10), only a few pieces had been moved forward enough to be of any service. So, on April 11th under direction of officers from the Canadian 6th Artillery Brigade, the Canadians then seized some of the captured German guns and put them into action. There are few guns in existence who fought on both sides during the war!
As the War came to a close in 1918, the government still had the enormous costs of repatriating and settling the men who fought, so they initiated a final Victory Loan Campaign. Between 1915 and 1919 five such campaigns raised a total of over $2 billion dollars.
The 1919 Victory Loans Committee created financial targets for each area of the country to meet to raise the monies necessary. They also created several incentives to encourage people to meet these goals. One incentive being the War Trophy Contest, which awarded the area that raised the most money over their set target with a captured war trophy. One prize was to be awarded to each province.
The Victory Loans Committee set a goal for Albert County to raise $110,000.00. (This would be equivalent to $2.2 million today (per Bank of Canada Inflation index)). Albert County not only raised the set goal but tripled it! With a final total of $347,600.00. (In today's dollars $6.2 million) This was with a population of about 8700 people! The people of Albert County surpassed their set goal by the largest percentage of any area in the province, and were awarded the War Trophy, the 110 mm K14 cannon!
Every great story needs it share of controversy, and our story has it too! When it came time for Albert County to pick its trophy for winning the Victory Loans Competition, they wanted something which spoke of the sacrifice of the men from the County and New Brunswick. They eventually settled on a cannon which the “The Report of the War Trophy Allocations 1920” showed was captured by the 26th New Brunswick Battalion. The gun was delivered, a plaque was made commemorating the competition and the 26th’s involvement in its capture. However, sometime in 1920 after Albert County had received the gun, the War Trophy Allocations report was corrected to show the documented capture of the gun by the 27th Battalion. For 90 years, the gun was believed to have been captured by the 26th battalion, and it wasn’t until restoration efforts began in 2015 that the real story came out. It was quite a controversy in the Historical Society!
It turns out that the 590 K14 cannon is extremely rare, in fact there are only 7 left in the entire world!
The Albert County Museum is in the process of restoring these Great War Trophies to their as captured condition through the Victory Cannon Campaign. The Victory Cannon Campaign currently sits at 3/4 the final goal of $17,000.00 with over $13,000.00 raised so far. You can donate to the Victory Cannon Campaign by going to the museum's website: www.albertcountymuseum.com and following the links to the Victory Cannon Campaign, or by visiting the museum.
The Albert County Museum and RB Bennett Commemorative Center is located at 3940 Route 114 in Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick. The Museum celebrates and tells the stories of ‘The People of the Tides’ – the human and industrial history of Albert County, as well as highlighting the accomplishments of its native son, the Rt. Hon. RB Bennett, the only Canadian Prime Minister to come from New Brunswick. The Museum’s small village of historic shire-town buildings is filled with artifacts that tell the fascinating story of the area’s past.
The Museum is open from May long week-end until the end of September.
What follows is a detailed version of the same release.
Vimy RidgeThe story begins when the Canadian Expeditionary Force was handed Vimy Ridge as an objective in the Winter of 1917. An assignment that was more than a little formidable; optimism was not running high. It. The defending Germans were firmly entrenched and had fought off several attacks with relative ease. Both the French and British had attempted to storm the hills around Vimy to no avail, it was going to be a meat grinder.
Learning from past battles, the Canadians decided to do it differently. Instead of headquarters planning the operation in secrecy, they planned the assault and then included every soldier in the preparations and planning. Maps, details, and objectives were made a part of the daily training for six weeks. Commanders and soldiers studied replica model layouts of the ridge and surrounding area.
Every aspect of the attack was planned, trained, and re-trained by everyone involved. For the first time, anticipated succession of command was implemented. Instead of hoping the individual initiative of soldiers would replace casualties among leaders, they were trained to do it and expected to continue the assault as planned. Platoon lieutenants led, but if the need arose, any private could take over, having been briefed, trained, and exercised.
Instead of the pre-assault barrage, which ended as the assault began, Canadian Lt. General Arthur Currie had developed the creeping barrage, intended to shield troops as they approached enemy defences. His use of artillery counter-battery fire helped neutralize German positions and he maintained constant pressure on German lines through relentless patrolling.
The Canadian’s carried it off and expelled the Germans from Vimy Ridge. It was the first time that Canadian soldiers fought together as one unit, under Canadian leadership and proved their fighting acumen. It was a major victory for the Allies and with the overall success of the Battle of Arras, a turning point in the Great War had been reached.
Vimy, however, was costly. Canadians counted 3,598 dead and 7,104 wounded in a four-day battle. Many of the dead were swallowed up in the mud that was the battlefield, never to be seen again.
27th Winnipeg Battalion and the Capture of the Gun
The Hopewell Cape cannon, the 10cm k14 s/n 590 (hereafter 590) was captured on the first day of the Vimy Ridge offensive on April 9, 1917. It was captured by the 27th Battalion, the City of Winnipeg Battalion. It is incredibly lucky for us that the Commanding Officer of the 27th Battalion kept impeccable battalion war dairies which recorded every facet of the attack.
On the night of April 8th, 1917 at 9:30 pm the men of the 27th City of Winnipeg Battalion assembled and moved into the Assembly Trenches just east of Aux Reitz, with all companies in position by 2:55am. The night passed quietly, except for the Canadian Artillery bombardment that lasted throughout the night. At exactly 5:30am, the attack started, with all guns firing right on time.
At 9:30am the 27th left the assembly trenches and formed up just south of Neuville St. Vaast, at this time the Germans sent a counter gas attack on the troops which caused no casualties. The Battalion then proceeded to advance toward the Red objective passing between Thelus wood and the Town of Thelus. [The German barrage was heavy along the original front line, the 27th advanced as if on parade and kept formation, casualties were light until they reached Lille Road, where they met a second hostile barrage.]
Battalion headquarters was set up in Les Tillsulls, when crossing the Blue line the Germans launched another gas attack, with the soldiers donning box respirators, no causalities were reported. When the 27th reached the “jumping off” point at 11:30 am, amongst heavy shelling by German artillery, they paused in shell holes waiting for the Canadian barrage to start. At 12:43pm the barrage started, and the battalion formed up ready to advance. As the barrage crept forward the men marched along with it. Bandsman Paddy Smith displayed great cool by playing the regimental march on his piccolo throughout the advance. Unfortunately, he was killed at the objective by a shell.
There was momentary pause while a machine gun opened up on the left, a couple of well directed rifle grenades soon took care of that. On the right, the German gunners of one company of heavy guns opened fire at point blank range with muzzle bursts. The battalion charged the last 50 yards with a cheer and leaped into the gun pits, where the gunners put up a stout fight. Captain Lane seized the guns, put out of action those of the crew who resisted and took the remainder prisoners, and prevented the guns from being dismantled.
The ground fell away sharply from one edge of the wood to the village of Farbus. From there eastward the country was flat and they had complete command. At 1:50 pm the signal of three white very lights was sent up showing that they were in touch with both flanks and in the possession of their whole portion of the Brown objective. By 4:00 pm the battalion had captured the village of Farbus.
Battlefield Location
It is fortunate that the Commanding Officer of the 27th Battalion was so precise in his record keeping, for we know the exact location on the battlefield where the 590 was captured. The 10cm k14 s/n 590 was captured at B.1.a.6.7 1/2 ref THELUS N.E. 1/10000. If you calculate the coordinates of this map and compare it to current maps you can pin-pint the exact location today on Google Earth: it currently is a playground!
Canadian 6th Artillery Brigade
One of the consequences of the massive artillery bombardment during the attack on Vimy Ridge, was the absolute destruction of the terrain, and this coupled with the rain and snow made the ground almost impassable with mud. Once the Canadians gained control of their objectives they tried to move their artillery forward but found the ground just swallowed up the massive artillery pieces. At the end of day two of the battle (April 10), only a few pieces had been moved forward enough to be of any service. So, on April 11th under direction of officers from the Canadian 6th Artillery Brigade, the Canadians then seized some of the captured German guns and put them into action.
The 6th Canadian Artillery Brigade records sending a heavy artillery crew to put the K14 in action. In the War Diaries of the 27th Battalion it records several thousand rounds being sent back to the Germans on the guns they captured. It is also recorded in the War Trophies Allocation Report of 1920 that the K14 cannon was used by the R.G.A..
So not only was the gun used by the Germans against the Canadians, but the Canadians turned the gun around and used it against the Germans. There are few guns in existence who fought on both sides during the war!
4th or 6th New Brunswick Siege Batteries
It also turns out that the damage on the barrel of the K14 cannon was probably caused by shells fired by the 4th or 6th New Brunswick Siege Batteries. The exact location where the K14 was captured on Vimy Ridge is well documented and when checked against fire mission records for both N.B. batteries it was discovered that both N.B. Batteries fired heavy concentrations of 8-inch high explosive shells on those very German gun positions. Thus, it is very possible that the fire that cut the gouge in the barrel was inflicted by New Brunswick's Heavy Artillery!
The Victory Loans Campaign of 1919
As the War came to a close in 1918, the government still had the enormous costs of repatriating and settling the men who fought, so they initiated a final Victory Loan Campaign. Between 1915 and 1919 five such campaigns raised a total of over $2 billion dollars. Initially, these drives were rather low-key affairs, but in 1917, with revenues stretched and foreign sources of funds drying up, the bonds became ‘Victory Loans,’ and the campaigns intensified. Canadians were inundated with a flood of publicity, posters, and volunteer canvassers.
The 1919 Victory Loans Committee created financial targets for each area of the country to meet to raise the monies necessary. They also created a number of incentives to encourage people to meet these goals. One being the Prince of Wales Flag, which was to be rewarded if the district reached their set target. Another incentive was the War Trophy Contest, which awarded the area that raised the most money over their set target with a captured war trophy. One prize was to be awarded to each province. (Two for Ontario.)
The Victory Loans Committee set a goal for Albert County to raise $110,000.00, which is a sizable sum for 1919. (This would be equivalent to $2.2 million today (per Bank of Canada Inflation index)). Albert County not only raised the set goal but tripled it! With a final total of $347,600.00. (In today's dollars $6.2 million) This was with a population of about 8700 people! The people of Albert County surpassed their set goal by the largest percentage of any area in the province, and were awarded the War Trophy, the 110 mm K14 cannon!
Controversy
When it came time for Albert County to pick its trophy for winning the Victory Loans Competition, they wanted something which spoke of the sacrifice of the men from the County and New Brunswick. They eventually settled on a cannon which the “The Report of the War Trophy Allocations 1920” showed was captured by the 26th New Brunswick Battalion. The gun was delivered, a plaque was made commemorating the competition and the 26th’s involvement in its capture. That gun was the 590 cannon.
However, sometime in 1920 after Albert County had received the gun, the War Trophy Allocations report was corrected to show the documented capture of the gun by the 27th Battalion. For 90 years, the gun was believed to have been captured by the 26th battalion, and it wasn’t until restoration efforts began in 2015 that the real story came out. It was quite a controversy in the Historical Society!
Last of its Kind.
It turns out that the K14 cannon is extremely rare, in fact there are only 7 left in the entire world!
The Albert County Museum is in the process of restoring these Great War Trophies to their as captured condition through the Victory Cannon Campaign. The Victory Cannon Campaign currently sits at 3/4 the final goal of $15,000.00 with over $13,000.00 raised so far.
The Victory Cannon Campaign restoration plans include: New Wheels – built from the ground up in Nova Scotia by experienced, professional Wheelwright; Refurbishment of Steel- replacing and fixing rusted sections, sand blasting, welding, etc. to stop further deterioration; New Paint- in the original camouflage, as captured condition. Cement Pad Refurbishment- bringing the cement pads where the cannons rest to modern safety standards, and A New Interpretive Display- to tell the story of the cannons, and their significance to Albert County, New Brunswick and Canada.
For further information contact:
Stuart Liptay, President, Albert County Historical Society
Tel: (506) 734-2003
Email: stuart@albertcountymuseum.com
Web: www.albertcountymuseum.com
What follows is a detailed version of the same release.
He wrote, “There was momentary pause while a machine gun opened up on the left, a couple of well directed rifle grenades soon took care of that. On the right, the German gunners of one company of heavy guns opened fire at point blank range with muzzle bursts. The battalion charged the last 50 yards with a cheer and leaped into the gun pits, where the gunners put up a stout fight. Captain Lane seized the guns, put out of action those of the crew who resisted and took the remainder prisoners, and prevented the guns from being dismantled. At 1:50 pm the signal of three white very lights was sent up showing that they were in touch with both flanks and in the possession of their whole portion of the Brown objective. By 4:00 pm the battalion had captured the village of Farbus.”
It is fortunate that the Commanding Officer of the 27th Battalion was so precise in his record keeping, for we know the exact location on the battlefield where the 590 was captured. If you calculate the coordinates of this map and compare it to current maps you can pin-pint the exact location today on Google Earth: it currently is a playground!
One of the consequences of the massive artillery bombardment during the attack on Vimy Ridge, was the absolute destruction of the terrain, and this coupled with the rain and snow made the ground almost impassable with mud. Once the Canadians gained control of their objectives they tried to move their artillery forward but found the ground just swallowed up the massive artillery pieces. At the end of day two of the battle (April 10), only a few pieces had been moved forward enough to be of any service. So, on April 11th under direction of officers from the Canadian 6th Artillery Brigade, the Canadians then seized some of the captured German guns and put them into action. There are few guns in existence who fought on both sides during the war!
As the War came to a close in 1918, the government still had the enormous costs of repatriating and settling the men who fought, so they initiated a final Victory Loan Campaign. Between 1915 and 1919 five such campaigns raised a total of over $2 billion dollars.
The 1919 Victory Loans Committee created financial targets for each area of the country to meet to raise the monies necessary. They also created several incentives to encourage people to meet these goals. One incentive being the War Trophy Contest, which awarded the area that raised the most money over their set target with a captured war trophy. One prize was to be awarded to each province.
The Victory Loans Committee set a goal for Albert County to raise $110,000.00. (This would be equivalent to $2.2 million today (per Bank of Canada Inflation index)). Albert County not only raised the set goal but tripled it! With a final total of $347,600.00. (In today's dollars $6.2 million) This was with a population of about 8700 people! The people of Albert County surpassed their set goal by the largest percentage of any area in the province, and were awarded the War Trophy, the 110 mm K14 cannon!
Every great story needs it share of controversy, and our story has it too! When it came time for Albert County to pick its trophy for winning the Victory Loans Competition, they wanted something which spoke of the sacrifice of the men from the County and New Brunswick. They eventually settled on a cannon which the “The Report of the War Trophy Allocations 1920” showed was captured by the 26th New Brunswick Battalion. The gun was delivered, a plaque was made commemorating the competition and the 26th’s involvement in its capture. However, sometime in 1920 after Albert County had received the gun, the War Trophy Allocations report was corrected to show the documented capture of the gun by the 27th Battalion. For 90 years, the gun was believed to have been captured by the 26th battalion, and it wasn’t until restoration efforts began in 2015 that the real story came out. It was quite a controversy in the Historical Society!
It turns out that the 590 K14 cannon is extremely rare, in fact there are only 7 left in the entire world!
The Albert County Museum is in the process of restoring these Great War Trophies to their as captured condition through the Victory Cannon Campaign. The Victory Cannon Campaign currently sits at 3/4 the final goal of $17,000.00 with over $13,000.00 raised so far. You can donate to the Victory Cannon Campaign by going to the museum's website: www.albertcountymuseum.com and following the links to the Victory Cannon Campaign, or by visiting the museum.
The Albert County Museum and RB Bennett Commemorative Center is located at 3940 Route 114 in Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick. The Museum celebrates and tells the stories of ‘The People of the Tides’ – the human and industrial history of Albert County, as well as highlighting the accomplishments of its native son, the Rt. Hon. RB Bennett, the only Canadian Prime Minister to come from New Brunswick. The Museum’s small village of historic shire-town buildings is filled with artifacts that tell the fascinating story of the area’s past.
The Museum is open from May long week-end until the end of September.
What follows is a detailed version of the same release.
Vimy RidgeThe story begins when the Canadian Expeditionary Force was handed Vimy Ridge as an objective in the Winter of 1917. An assignment that was more than a little formidable; optimism was not running high. It. The defending Germans were firmly entrenched and had fought off several attacks with relative ease. Both the French and British had attempted to storm the hills around Vimy to no avail, it was going to be a meat grinder.
Learning from past battles, the Canadians decided to do it differently. Instead of headquarters planning the operation in secrecy, they planned the assault and then included every soldier in the preparations and planning. Maps, details, and objectives were made a part of the daily training for six weeks. Commanders and soldiers studied replica model layouts of the ridge and surrounding area.
Every aspect of the attack was planned, trained, and re-trained by everyone involved. For the first time, anticipated succession of command was implemented. Instead of hoping the individual initiative of soldiers would replace casualties among leaders, they were trained to do it and expected to continue the assault as planned. Platoon lieutenants led, but if the need arose, any private could take over, having been briefed, trained, and exercised.
Instead of the pre-assault barrage, which ended as the assault began, Canadian Lt. General Arthur Currie had developed the creeping barrage, intended to shield troops as they approached enemy defences. His use of artillery counter-battery fire helped neutralize German positions and he maintained constant pressure on German lines through relentless patrolling.
The Canadian’s carried it off and expelled the Germans from Vimy Ridge. It was the first time that Canadian soldiers fought together as one unit, under Canadian leadership and proved their fighting acumen. It was a major victory for the Allies and with the overall success of the Battle of Arras, a turning point in the Great War had been reached.
Vimy, however, was costly. Canadians counted 3,598 dead and 7,104 wounded in a four-day battle. Many of the dead were swallowed up in the mud that was the battlefield, never to be seen again.
27th Winnipeg Battalion and the Capture of the Gun
The Hopewell Cape cannon, the 10cm k14 s/n 590 (hereafter 590) was captured on the first day of the Vimy Ridge offensive on April 9, 1917. It was captured by the 27th Battalion, the City of Winnipeg Battalion. It is incredibly lucky for us that the Commanding Officer of the 27th Battalion kept impeccable battalion war dairies which recorded every facet of the attack.
On the night of April 8th, 1917 at 9:30 pm the men of the 27th City of Winnipeg Battalion assembled and moved into the Assembly Trenches just east of Aux Reitz, with all companies in position by 2:55am. The night passed quietly, except for the Canadian Artillery bombardment that lasted throughout the night. At exactly 5:30am, the attack started, with all guns firing right on time.
At 9:30am the 27th left the assembly trenches and formed up just south of Neuville St. Vaast, at this time the Germans sent a counter gas attack on the troops which caused no casualties. The Battalion then proceeded to advance toward the Red objective passing between Thelus wood and the Town of Thelus. [The German barrage was heavy along the original front line, the 27th advanced as if on parade and kept formation, casualties were light until they reached Lille Road, where they met a second hostile barrage.]
Battalion headquarters was set up in Les Tillsulls, when crossing the Blue line the Germans launched another gas attack, with the soldiers donning box respirators, no causalities were reported. When the 27th reached the “jumping off” point at 11:30 am, amongst heavy shelling by German artillery, they paused in shell holes waiting for the Canadian barrage to start. At 12:43pm the barrage started, and the battalion formed up ready to advance. As the barrage crept forward the men marched along with it. Bandsman Paddy Smith displayed great cool by playing the regimental march on his piccolo throughout the advance. Unfortunately, he was killed at the objective by a shell.
There was momentary pause while a machine gun opened up on the left, a couple of well directed rifle grenades soon took care of that. On the right, the German gunners of one company of heavy guns opened fire at point blank range with muzzle bursts. The battalion charged the last 50 yards with a cheer and leaped into the gun pits, where the gunners put up a stout fight. Captain Lane seized the guns, put out of action those of the crew who resisted and took the remainder prisoners, and prevented the guns from being dismantled.
The ground fell away sharply from one edge of the wood to the village of Farbus. From there eastward the country was flat and they had complete command. At 1:50 pm the signal of three white very lights was sent up showing that they were in touch with both flanks and in the possession of their whole portion of the Brown objective. By 4:00 pm the battalion had captured the village of Farbus.
Battlefield Location
It is fortunate that the Commanding Officer of the 27th Battalion was so precise in his record keeping, for we know the exact location on the battlefield where the 590 was captured. The 10cm k14 s/n 590 was captured at B.1.a.6.7 1/2 ref THELUS N.E. 1/10000. If you calculate the coordinates of this map and compare it to current maps you can pin-pint the exact location today on Google Earth: it currently is a playground!
Canadian 6th Artillery Brigade
One of the consequences of the massive artillery bombardment during the attack on Vimy Ridge, was the absolute destruction of the terrain, and this coupled with the rain and snow made the ground almost impassable with mud. Once the Canadians gained control of their objectives they tried to move their artillery forward but found the ground just swallowed up the massive artillery pieces. At the end of day two of the battle (April 10), only a few pieces had been moved forward enough to be of any service. So, on April 11th under direction of officers from the Canadian 6th Artillery Brigade, the Canadians then seized some of the captured German guns and put them into action.
The 6th Canadian Artillery Brigade records sending a heavy artillery crew to put the K14 in action. In the War Diaries of the 27th Battalion it records several thousand rounds being sent back to the Germans on the guns they captured. It is also recorded in the War Trophies Allocation Report of 1920 that the K14 cannon was used by the R.G.A..
So not only was the gun used by the Germans against the Canadians, but the Canadians turned the gun around and used it against the Germans. There are few guns in existence who fought on both sides during the war!
4th or 6th New Brunswick Siege Batteries
It also turns out that the damage on the barrel of the K14 cannon was probably caused by shells fired by the 4th or 6th New Brunswick Siege Batteries. The exact location where the K14 was captured on Vimy Ridge is well documented and when checked against fire mission records for both N.B. batteries it was discovered that both N.B. Batteries fired heavy concentrations of 8-inch high explosive shells on those very German gun positions. Thus, it is very possible that the fire that cut the gouge in the barrel was inflicted by New Brunswick's Heavy Artillery!
The Victory Loans Campaign of 1919
As the War came to a close in 1918, the government still had the enormous costs of repatriating and settling the men who fought, so they initiated a final Victory Loan Campaign. Between 1915 and 1919 five such campaigns raised a total of over $2 billion dollars. Initially, these drives were rather low-key affairs, but in 1917, with revenues stretched and foreign sources of funds drying up, the bonds became ‘Victory Loans,’ and the campaigns intensified. Canadians were inundated with a flood of publicity, posters, and volunteer canvassers.
The 1919 Victory Loans Committee created financial targets for each area of the country to meet to raise the monies necessary. They also created a number of incentives to encourage people to meet these goals. One being the Prince of Wales Flag, which was to be rewarded if the district reached their set target. Another incentive was the War Trophy Contest, which awarded the area that raised the most money over their set target with a captured war trophy. One prize was to be awarded to each province. (Two for Ontario.)
The Victory Loans Committee set a goal for Albert County to raise $110,000.00, which is a sizable sum for 1919. (This would be equivalent to $2.2 million today (per Bank of Canada Inflation index)). Albert County not only raised the set goal but tripled it! With a final total of $347,600.00. (In today's dollars $6.2 million) This was with a population of about 8700 people! The people of Albert County surpassed their set goal by the largest percentage of any area in the province, and were awarded the War Trophy, the 110 mm K14 cannon!
Controversy
When it came time for Albert County to pick its trophy for winning the Victory Loans Competition, they wanted something which spoke of the sacrifice of the men from the County and New Brunswick. They eventually settled on a cannon which the “The Report of the War Trophy Allocations 1920” showed was captured by the 26th New Brunswick Battalion. The gun was delivered, a plaque was made commemorating the competition and the 26th’s involvement in its capture. That gun was the 590 cannon.
However, sometime in 1920 after Albert County had received the gun, the War Trophy Allocations report was corrected to show the documented capture of the gun by the 27th Battalion. For 90 years, the gun was believed to have been captured by the 26th battalion, and it wasn’t until restoration efforts began in 2015 that the real story came out. It was quite a controversy in the Historical Society!
Last of its Kind.
It turns out that the K14 cannon is extremely rare, in fact there are only 7 left in the entire world!
The Albert County Museum is in the process of restoring these Great War Trophies to their as captured condition through the Victory Cannon Campaign. The Victory Cannon Campaign currently sits at 3/4 the final goal of $15,000.00 with over $13,000.00 raised so far.
The Victory Cannon Campaign restoration plans include: New Wheels – built from the ground up in Nova Scotia by experienced, professional Wheelwright; Refurbishment of Steel- replacing and fixing rusted sections, sand blasting, welding, etc. to stop further deterioration; New Paint- in the original camouflage, as captured condition. Cement Pad Refurbishment- bringing the cement pads where the cannons rest to modern safety standards, and A New Interpretive Display- to tell the story of the cannons, and their significance to Albert County, New Brunswick and Canada.
For further information contact:
Stuart Liptay, President, Albert County Historical Society
Tel: (506) 734-2003
Email: stuart@albertcountymuseum.com
Web: www.albertcountymuseum.com
What follows is a detailed version of the same release.
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