Latest news with #SeaforthHighlandersofCanadaMuseum
Global News
02-05-2025
- General
- Global News
‘Priceless': More cannons, century-old machine guns discovered at PNE in Vancouver
A month after work crews dug up a piece of Canadian military history at the PNE in Vancouver, officials say they've found more — and believe the area could yet prove to be a goldmine for historians. On March 27, crews building the new Freedom Mobile Arch amphitheatre discovered what appeared to be a 'cannon.' It turned out to be a captured German Howitzer from the First World War, taken as a trophy by Canadian soldiers. 1:58 WWI field artillery piece discovered on PNE grounds Canadian troops actually brought a number of such weapons home, which were staged around the city for display in the years after the war, according to James Calhoun, curator for the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum. Story continues below advertisement The guns were moved to Hastings Park in the 1930s with plans to make a permanent display, but the Great Depression scuttled that plan. By the 1940s, they were viewed as 'junk,' he said, and it's believed they were ultimately used to fill in a ravine on the site when the military took over the park in 1942. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's incredibly exciting. There have been rumours for years that they were going to find captured German guns buried at the PNE, and the first find on March 27 substantiated that — this subsequent find just shows that there was more stuff stored at the park. 'Two weeks later, we found a few more. We found two Canadian/British nine-pounder muzzle-loading artillery pieces from the 1870s … and we found a bunch of (German World War I) machine guns that came back as war trophies as well.' 1:54 How a WWI artillery weapon ended up buried beneath Vancouver's PNE Geordie Howe, an archaeologist with the Vancouver Park Board, said crews finishing the sewer installation for the amphitheatre made the latest find when they uncovered the rim of one of the cannon's wheels. Story continues below advertisement A park board team used a hydrovac to expose the cannon and a loader to lift it out — only to discover a second cannon buried beneath. 'It's actually pretty incredible that this material has been in the ground for over 80 years,' he said. 'All in the same general area.' The latest finds were uncovered in the area southwest of the amphitheatre site, and will not affect the development of the new facility. Calhoun, who has been researching the fate of the captured guns for years, says he believes there may be many more to uncover. 0:29 Field artillery piece found during amphitheater excavation at PNE He's particularly hopeful the 'holy grail' find may be at the site — a 16,000-pound 210mm German Mörser captured by the Seaforth Highlanders outside the French town of Valenciennes and which once stood guard at the entrance to Stanley Park. Story continues below advertisement 'We know there were between 15 and 16 artillery pieces stored at Hastings Park in 1933-34,' he said. 'We have found one, and we know five were cut up for scrap during the Second World War, but there could be as many as nine more artillery pieces south of the new amphitheatre they are building, and we think there might be at least 10 machine guns.' Calhoun said he's hopeful they will be able to keep digging at the site. The items that have already been excavated will be restored and displayed at the Seaforth Museum. Calhoun wouldn't speculate on what the new discovery is worth financially, but he knows what it's worth to Canada. 'In terms of historical value? Priceless.'
Vancouver Sun
30-04-2025
- General
- Vancouver Sun
'Historically significant find': More military artifacts found during excavation of PNE land
Article content In what is being called 'an incredibly exciting find,' more military artifacts have been found on PNE land during excavation work for the new amphitheatre at Hastings Park. Article content Article content The discovery — which includes four captured German machine-guns and two cannons from the 1870s — follows the unearthing last month of a captured German howitzer from the First World War. Article content Article content Article content • Four captured German MG08/15s (machine-guns) from the First World War • Two British/Canadian nine-pounder cannons from the 1870s • The 'trail' of the previously found howitzer. Ballance said it looks like the howitzer artifacts were buried in an old ravine, and were found in a row. Article content The PNE is working with Geordie Howe, the Vancouver park board's archeologist, and the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum to assess the artifacts, undertake appropriate next steps, and return them to the Canadian military as museum pieces, the release said. Article content Article content 'This is an incredibly exciting find,' said Seaforth Highlanders' curator James Calhoun in a statement. Article content Article content 'The relationship between the Canadian military and Hastings Park goes back more than a century, so it's hardly surprising that a major project like the Freedom Mobile Arch would reveal evidence of military matériel at the park. But to uncover so many major artifacts is simply staggering. This is a historically significant find,' added Calhoun. Article content 'My work has involved assisting contractors in removing the artifacts to allow excavation to continue as part of construction of the PNE Amphitheatre. It has brought a lot of satisfaction in addressing one of the lingering questions about the history of the PNE,' said Howe in a statement.
