The WW1 Canadian Trophy Project
Kevin, one of our brilliant team here at 60 Second Histories is a British veteran, but since moving to Canada in April, he's joined the Royal Canadian Legion in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Follow Kevin's progress with this super WW1 project as he joins forces with other local veterans to protect a piece of history and in the process, learn about the Canadians during the First World War.
After the #FirstWorldWar the Canadian army brought back captured weapons as trophies. There were so many of them it was decided they should be distributed all over #Canada; you may have spotted one at some time, they’re usually displayed outside local municipal buildings. This particular piece, a German light trench mortar or Minenwerfer in still in fairly good condition but needs to be preserved, so the aim is to fully restore it and proudly display it at the Saskatoon Museum of Military Artifacts (SMMA) located is beneath the Royal Canadian Legion 362 branch in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It's a little-known museum, but it’s fascinating, it’s jam packed with artefacts, many of which have been donated by local veterans and their families.
Meet the team ..... From the left: Kevin, Malcolm, Ted, Jean & Mike. Who you don’t see in the picture is Shirley, the museum custodian (read Boss) it’s Shirley who helps keep the team in order.
Step 1, lifting the mortar ...... We really thought it was going to be a hard job. We came equipped with all sorts of tools, but as you can see it lifted out of the ground pretty easily. Then, with just a bit of muscle, some blocks and a crow bar we were able to lift and maneuver the mortar onto a sack truck then onto a trailer to take to our garage where the first stages of restoration will take place.
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