The Victory Cannon Campaign just passed the 2/3 mark in the goal to restore the Hopewell Cape War Trophy Cannons, by going past $10000.00. Fundraising efforts during the two day Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Sailing of the 26th Battalion June 13, 1915 raised $5258.20 bringing the campaign within $5000.00 of the final goal of $15000.00.
The Victory Cannon Campaign Project run by the Albert County Museum is raising funds to restore two captured First World War German Cannons, and was officially launched at the Albert County Remembers Day on June 7, 2014. Both cannons were captured by the Canadian Expeditionary Forces at the battle of Vimy Ridge in April, 1917. The larger 10.5 cm cannon was captured by the 27th Winnipeg Battalion and the smaller 7.7cm by the 26th New Brunswick Battalion.
The German 10.5cm k14 (1917) cannon was won by the people of Albert County in the Victory Loans Campaign of 1919. The government set specific targets for each district and county in the country. A prize was awarded in each province to the county/district that surpassed the goal by the most. In New Brunswick, Albert County had the distinction of tripling their goal of $110,000.00 by raising a total of $347,000.00, which was enough to win the special War Trophy. (In real dollars this equates to $4,500,000.00).
The second cannon, the 7.7cm fk96 n.A. was awarded to the people of Albert County in recognition of the sheer number of men who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.). Albert County holds the distinction of having had the highest level of enlistment in the First World War in all of Canada on a per capita basis.
Recently the museum, held a Commemoration of the 100 Year Departure of the 26th Battalion on June 13, 1915, where two of the restored Cannon wheels were unveiled to great fanfare. The Cannon Wheels were professionally restored by Mike Hartigan, the Wheelwright by the Sea, in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, and arrived just in time for the 100 Year Commemoration.
The Victory Cannon Campaign is hoping to have the cannons fully restored in time for the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 2017.
