Cannons return to Officers' Square with some new details
Markings can now be seen on the 19th-century cannons
The historic cannons that once sat in downtown Fredericton's Officers' Square have returned better than ever.
The two cannons — that date back to the 19th century — were restored by the City of Fredericton.
During the cleaning and repainting, engravings were discovered that excite history buffs like retired army officer Harold Skaarup.
"To see these standing here, representing our armed forces and being taken care of with respect, with care and attention to detail, makes me very proud of the city," said Skaarup.
He said he's "impressed" with the work done to restore the cannons — restoration work that revealed the original markings.
The cannons have stood in Officers' Square since roughly 1947 and were removed in 2018 during renovations.
Based on the engravings, Skaarup now knows the cannons were made in England by the Royal Gun Factory and would've originally arrived in Halifax.
Skaarup is a volunteer at the Fredericton Region Museum, which sits on the edge of Officers' Square, and a writer of New Brunswick military history.
He said that when he first saw the cannons years ago it "bugged" him that the engravings weren't visible.
"I couldn't read any of the numbers because it had so much paint on it. But the upside of it is because it had so much paint on it, they hadn't deteriorated."
Now Skaarup can see Queen Victoria's cypher on the top of the barrel. The marking means the cannon was built during her reign, which started in 1837 and ended in 1901.
The barrel also has an arrow mark, meaning it was the property of the British Crown.
Skaarup said three other cannons sat in Fredericton after the First World War. Near the end of the Second World War, there was an iron shortage and all three were melted down to make military tools.
"We were at war again and we were short metal and so they came back and said, 'If you have a cannon that's not in the museum and not part of a war memorial, send it back. We need the metal,'" said Skaarup.
The two cannons now in Officers' Square came from Halifax to replace them.
With the serial numbers exposed, Skaarup now knows that each of the more than 2,700 kilograms of cast iron are actually "two cannons in one."
They were once smoothbore muzzleloading cannon, meaning a single cannonball was loaded in the front.
Skaarup said designs changed around 1870 and the barrel was then drilled out and another ring was placed inside with spiral grooves. That changed the ammunition into a "pointed, bullet-like shell," according to Skaarup.
The cannons now sit on newly built, red wooden carriages.
Skaarup said the historical details were studied to ensure "accurate designs for the carriages."
With the cannons now sitting on their new carriages, he said it's "entirely possible" that they're still functional.
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With files from Prapti Bamaniya