We Will Remember Them: Victory Cannon Campaign

On this day of Remembrance when we honour the men and women who have defended our country, we stand and pause for a moment at the eleventh hour. We give thought to the lives lost and to those forever changed. It is a time of sombre reflection and gratitude for the sacrifices that brave men and women made on behalf of our country. At the same time, we should also remember that it wasn't just the soldiers who had to suffer through untold hardships, but also the mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who lost loved ones.  

The Albert County Remembers Exhibit at the museum helps capture these sentiments. The items pictured below help represent the sacrifice our ancestors gave for our country. 

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In the white Remembrance binder in the centre of the photo, we have collected the photos, names, ranks, and time and place of death of the 52 citizens of Albert County who died in the Great War. Next to it, on the right, the poppy-covered cross:  the symbol of remembrance and of our continued thanks for their sacrifice.

The display case on the left contains medals from the Great War, including the Silver Cross medal. The Silver Cross was given to a mother of a soldier killed in the Great war. It represents the sacrifice of the family for their country. The cross on display was given to a mother in Albert County whose son is listed in the white Remembrance binder. 

Lastly, we see the large Prince of Wales Victory Loans Flag, which was given to the people of Albert County for reaching their assigned goal of $117,00.00 in the Victory Loans drive of 1919. It symbolizes the sacrifices of the people and their hopes for the future and is a poignant reminder of what we can do when we work together. The people of Albert County raised an additional $200,000.00, for a total of $317,000.00 in the Victory Loans campaign of 1919.  (In today's dollars that is equivalent to $3,920,000.00). 

The citizens of Albert County raised a greater percentage over their goal than any other county in the province, and were rewarded with the large 10cm cannon currently displayed at the entrance of the museum. Stationed next to it, the smaller 7.7cm field gun was awarded to the citizens for their unmatched enlistment in the war. Albert County had more volunteers per capita than anywhere else in Canada.

Both these war trophies symbolize the best of Albert County and the courage and self sacrifice of its people. Please help us to restore them so that future generations can learn of the heroism and sacrifices of the past. You can donate here.  

Victory Cannon Campaign Makes the News Again

The Victory Cannon Campaign has made the news again, this time in thanks to the wonderful people at the CrossRoads Military Heritage Collectors Show (held November 1) who kindly donated a table to the museum. The Military Antiques Show located in Moncton, at the heart of Atlantic Canada, features Militaria, Pre-1945 Arms, Vehicles & Collectibles and can be found online on Facebook here. 

Our museum Manager/Curator Donald Alward was fortunate to get interviewed by Jonathan MacInnis of CTV news and you can watch the whole episode here. Although Jonathan stated in the article the people of Albert County raised $117000.00 during the Victory Loans Campaign of 1919, they really raised $317000.00 which is equivalent to ~3.92 million dollars today. The $117000.00 Jonathan quotes in the article is the amount the Government set as a goal for Albert County. The Cannon prize was given to Albert County for surpassing the goal by such a large amount, the most over their goal in all of New Brunswick . You can learn more about the Victory Loans Campaign here.

Over $140.00 was raised on Saturday, which brings us ever closer to the grand total of $15000.00. A special thanks is extended to The Rocks Provincial Park for kindly donating a jacket and passes to use as promotional prizes at the show. Thanks Rocks! Thanks also to our volunteers who manned the booth and the the show for giving us the booth!

If you have not donated to the Victory Cannon Campaign to restore the WW1 Cannons in Hopewell Cape then please do so here. DONATE.  

Victory Cannon Campaign Chugging Along!

Victory Cannon Campaign UPDATE! We just passed the $3000.00 mark on the road to our goal of $15000.00! We're 1/5 there! If you havn't donated yet, and wondering what it's about read on: 

The Victory Cannon Campaign Needs Your Help!

Did you know that both the guns in front of the museum were captured at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the battle that "forged the nation"?

Did you know that Albert County had the highest level of volunteers per capita in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in all of Canada?

Did you know that the large 10cm gun was won by the people of Albert County in the Victory Loans Campaign of 1919 for reaching the highest percentage over their goal for monies raised?  

Did you know that the German 77mm field gun was captured by the New Brunswick Regiment, the famous "Fighting 26th" at Vimy Ridge? 

The Victory Cannon Campaign was set up to restore the war trophies from the Great War to their as captured condition. The goal is to restore and repaint each cannon to their original battlefield condition and camouflage colours. In the century that the cannons have rested in the square in Hopewell Cape the elements have not been kind, it's our goal to preserve these trophies of war for future generations. 

The Goals: 

New Wheels - Built from the ground up in Nova Scotia by experienced, professional  Wheelwright. 

Refurbishment of Steel - replacing and fixing rusted sections, sand blasting, welding, etc. to stop further deterioration. 

New Paint - in the original camouflage, as captured condition. 

Cement Pad Refurbishment - bringing the cement pads the cannons rest on up to modern safety standards, fixing cracks and gaps to last another 100 years. 

A New Interpretive Display. 

Estimated Total Costs $15000.00

You can donate at the museum or ONLINE by CLICKING HERE.

Museum to Celebrate Albert County Remembers Day and Kick-Off Victory Cannon Campaign

HOPEWELL CAPE – The Albert County Museum and RB Bennett Commemorative Centre is hosting the first “Albert County Remembers” Day on Saturday, June 7 in memory of the accomplishments and sacrifices by the people of Albert County throughout the wars. Located in Hopewell Cape at 3940 Route 114, (just 2 minutes from the Hopewell Rocks), activities begin directly following the weekly Farmers and Crafters Market.

The afternoon events will start at 12 noon with a “show and tell”, where members of the public are encouraged to bring their personal mementos and artefacts from the various conflicts, from World War I to the present. A number of displays have been coordinated with local museums and prominent collections through the province highlighting the involvement from the people of New Brunswick in these armed conflicts.

Brent Wilson, Director of NB Military Heritage Project UNB Gregg Centre, will give an introductory talk on the famous “Fighting 26th”, the New Brunswick Battalion. As part of the presentation there will be readings from letters written (1914-1918) by Hugh C Wright, an Albert County soldier from Hopewell who served in the 26th.  Actual film footage of the 1914-1915 training of the soldiers in Saint John will be shown.

The highlight of the afternoon will be the official launch of the 2014 Victory Cannon Campaign to restore the captured war trophies that have stood in Hopewell Cape for the past 94 years. The cannons or field guns, proudly displayed in the square in Hopewell Cape since 1920, are a German 10.5cm k14 (1917) and a German 7.7 cm fk96 n.A.(1914).

Both cannons were captured by Canadian forces at the battle of Vimy Ridge in 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.

A presentation will be shown on the capture of the 10.5cm k14, as its history is extremely well documented, right down to the place and time of capture.  Donald Alward, Museum Manager and Curator said, “The documentation is so complete that you can pin-point the exact location of capture on Google-earth today, and when you compare the topography from 1917 to today, it is almost identical, the same trees, same railway, and the same roads. It really is amazing how little has changed, considering the destruction that occurred.”

If the military significance of the cannons wasn't enough, both cannons hold special meaning to the people of Albert County.

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 county in the country. A prize was awarded in each province to the county that surpassed the goal by the most. In New Brunswick, Albert County had the distinction of nearly tripling their goal of $110,000.00 by raising a total of $317,000.00, which was enough to win the special War Trophy.

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. A remarkable achievement!

When asked about the restoration of the cannons, Donald said “The estimated cost to restore the cannons will be about $15,000.00. We are very fortunate that they are in such good condition considering they have stood outside in the weather for 96 years. It's our goal to preserve them for another one hundred years.” Donald, went on to say, “We have arranged to have new wheels built using the original parts by a renown wheelwright and have sourced local professionals to do the repairs to the cannons and their foundations.  It's our plan to paint the cannons in their 'as captured' camouflage colours, using original photos and expert technical advice.”

The Museum will offer free admission with a free-will donation to the Victory Cannon Campaign during the day to see all the displays and exhibits through-out the Museum.