Cannons return to Officers' Square with some new details

Oliver Pearson · CBC News

· Posted: May 18, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes ago

The historical cannons that erstwhile sat successful downtown Fredericton's Officers' Square person returned amended than ever.

The 2 cannons — that day backmost to the 19th period — were restored by the City of Fredericton.

During the cleaning and repainting, engravings were discovered that excite history buffs similar retired service serviceman Harold Skaarup.

"To spot these lasting here, representing our equipped forces and being taken attraction of with respect, with attraction and attraction to detail, makes maine precise arrogant of the city," said Skaarup.

He said he's "impressed" with the enactment done to reconstruct the cannons — restoration enactment that revealed the archetypal markings.

The cannons person stood successful Officers' Square since astir 1947 and were removed successful 2018 during renovations.

Based connected the engravings, Skaarup present knows the cannons were made successful England by the Royal Gun Factory and would've primitively arrived successful Halifax.

Skaarup is simply a unpaid astatine the Fredericton Region Museum, which sits connected the borderline of Officers' Square, and a writer of New Brunswick subject history.

WATCH | Retired subject serviceman explains cannons' transportation to Second World War:

He said that erstwhile helium archetypal saw the cannons years agone it "bugged" him that the engravings weren't visible.

"I couldn't work immoderate of the numbers due to the fact that it had truthful overmuch overgarment connected it. But the upside of it is due to the fact that it had truthful overmuch overgarment connected it, they hadn't deteriorated."

Now Skaarup tin spot Queen Victoria's cypher connected the apical of the barrel. The marking means the cannon was built during her reign, which started successful 1837 and ended successful 1901.

The tube besides has an arrow mark, meaning it was the spot of the British Crown.

Skaarup said 3 different cannons sat successful Fredericton aft the First World War. Near the extremity of the Second World War, there was an robust shortage and each 3 were melted down to marque subject tools. 

"We were astatine warfare again and we were abbreviated metallic and truthful they came backmost and said, 'If you person a cannon that's not successful the depository and not portion of a warfare memorial, nonstop it back. We request the metal,'" said Skaarup.

The 2 cannons present successful Officers' Square came from Halifax to regenerate them.

With the serial numbers exposed, Skaarup present knows that each of the much than 2,700 kilograms of formed robust are really "two cannons successful one."

They were erstwhile smoothbore muzzleloading cannon, meaning a azygous cannonball was loaded successful the front.

Skaarup said designs changed astir 1870 and the tube was past drilled retired and different ringing was placed wrong with spiral grooves. That changed the ammunition into a "pointed, bullet-like shell," according to Skaarup.

The cannons present beryllium connected recently built, reddish woody carriages. 

Skaarup said the humanities details were studied to guarantee "accurate designs for the carriages."

With the cannons present sitting connected their caller carriages, helium said it's "entirely possible" that they're inactive functional.