AFTER weeks of effort, John Flood and Fred Pearse watched with delight as two World War I guns were placed at the Anzac Memorial, along the Muswellbrook War Memorial.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The two pieces, an FK96 artillery field gun made in 1904 by Krupp and a 250mm schwerer Minenwerfer large mortar, made in 1908, were set at the memorial last Thursday.
“Following the cessation of WWI, weapons captured from German and Turkish forces were distributed to Allied Nations as a reminder of the sacrifices of the soldiers,” Mr Flood said.
“Committees were established in each state to allocate these weapons.
“Captured guns were given to communities which linked them to the involvement of soldiers from the shire areas.
“Generally, the communities accepted responsibility for the maintenance and display of the piece, this mostly occurred around the 1920s.”
Muswellbrook’s gifts were displayed at the railway crossing before being relocated to the RSL Club.
They were cleaned up before they were moved to their new location at the memorial.
“The pieces have been refurbished by JMG, the wheels were in a dilapidated state and required a complete rebuild, with new fellows and spokes made and fitted,” Mr Flood said.
“Earthworks and placement was generously given by Darryl Marshall and Muswellbrook Cranes.”
Those who worked on fixing the wheels included Macs Timber at Warners Bay, with fitting by Fred Pearse, Bob Byrnes and John Flood.
“Both pieces were captured by Australian Forces during the action on the Somme and Western Front, the Feld Kannon believed to have been captured by 30Bn,” Mr Flood said.
The fact the pieces came from the Battle of the Somme has special significance for Mr Pearse.
He said he was keen to help with the restoration because his father was in that battle.
“I jumped at the chance,” he said.
“I was chuffed when I was asked, ‘Would you come along and help us?’”
Those involved in the restoration took care to keep the details correct, even down to the colour of paint.
“The correct colours were obtained from the Musee d'Militare in Perigord, France,” Mr Flood said.
The Anzac Memorial includes five stones which spell ANZAC and, in between the two guns, there is a centre stone with a Rising Sun emblem which was copied from a one-inch pin off a soldier’s slouch hat.
