A month after work crews dug up a chunk of Canadian army historical past on the PNE in Vancouver, officers say they’ve discovered extra — and consider the realm might but show to be a goldmine for historians.
On March 27, crews constructing the brand new Freedom Cellular Arch amphitheatre found what seemed to be a “cannon.”
It turned out to be a captured German Howitzer from the First World Warfare, taken as a trophy by Canadian troopers.
Canadian troops really introduced a lot of such weapons residence, which had been staged across the metropolis for show within the years after the battle, in keeping with James Calhoun, curator for the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum.
The weapons had been moved to Hastings Park within the Nineteen Thirties with plans to make a everlasting show, however the Nice Melancholy scuttled that plan.
By the Forties, they had been considered as “junk,” he mentioned, and it’s believed they had been finally used to fill in a ravine on the location when the army took over the park in 1942.
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“It’s extremely thrilling. There have been rumours for years that they had been going to search out captured German weapons buried on the PNE, and the primary discover on March 27 substantiated that — this subsequent discover simply reveals that there was extra stuff saved on the park.
“Two weeks later, we discovered just a few extra. We discovered two Canadian/British nine-pounder muzzle-loading artillery items from the 1870s … and we discovered a bunch of (German World Warfare I) machine weapons that got here again as battle trophies as effectively.”
Geordie Howe, an archaeologist with the Vancouver Park Board, mentioned crews ending the sewer set up for the amphitheatre made the newest discover once they uncovered the rim of one of many cannon’s wheels.
A park board crew used a hydrovac to show the cannon and a loader to raise it out — solely to find a second cannon buried beneath.
“It’s really fairly unimaginable that this materials has been within the floor for over 80 years,” he mentioned.
“All in the identical common space.”
The most recent finds had been uncovered within the space southwest of the amphitheatre web site, and won’t have an effect on the event of the brand new facility.
Calhoun, who has been researching the destiny of the captured weapons for years, says he believes there could also be many extra to uncover.
He’s notably hopeful the “holy grail” discover could also be on the web site — a 16,000-pound 210mm German Mörser captured by the Seaforth Highlanders exterior the French city of Valenciennes and which as soon as stood guard on the entrance to Stanley Park.
“We all know there have been between 15 and 16 artillery items saved at Hastings Park in 1933-34,” he mentioned.
“Now we have discovered one, and we all know 5 had been minimize up for scrap in the course of the Second World Warfare, however there could possibly be as many as 9 extra artillery items south of the brand new amphitheatre they’re constructing, and we expect there is perhaps no less than 10 machine weapons.”
Calhoun mentioned he’s hopeful they may be capable of preserve digging on the web site.
The objects which have already been excavated will likely be restored and displayed on the Seaforth Museum.
Calhoun wouldn’t speculate on what the brand new discovery is value financially, however he is aware of what it’s value to Canada.
“When it comes to historic worth? Priceless.”
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