PNE returns dug-up military artifacts to Canadian Armed Forces

Vancouver’s PNE returned a collection of First World War artifacts to the Canadian military after a construction project unearthed weapons buried below Hastings Park.

In March, crews working on the new Freedom Mobile Arch amphitheatre dug up a German Howitzer from the First World War. One month later, two more cannons, four machine guns, and other military pieces were also found.

Geordie Howe, an archeologist with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, says rumours of weapons buried under the PNE have persisted for years.

“And you can read the stories in the old newspapers — and all of a sudden, here they were,” Howe told The Leader Spirit.

The artifacts were repatriated to the military in a public ceremony Tuesday.

The two nine-pounder cannons will be on display at the PNE before they’re moved, permanently, to the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum in Kitsilano.

Curator James Calhoun says it was amazing to see what experts first believed were captured guns.

“And then, as soon as we pulled them out, we realized, ‘No, those are muzzle-loaders. And they’ve got Queen Victoria’s cypher on them.’ So it’s just a mystery to why they were there,” said Calhoun. “The next stage for these guns is we’re consulting with the Canadian War Museum, and the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum in Manitoba, and we’re gonna figure out a plan for restoring them.”

Calhoun says that process will likely take years, but members of the armed forces say the artifacts will be a stark reminder of those who served.

Lt.-Col. Steve McNally, a commanding officers with the Seaforth Highlanders, says it’s important to appreciate military history.

“If you don’t know where you’ve been, you don’t know where you’re going, and we’re in a time of great change. it gives you a connection with the soldiers and soldiers that managed that equipment,” said McNally.

Experts suspect there could be more artifacts buried on the grounds of the PNE.

“We figured there’s probably going to be at least a dozen more guns all along the ravine, so we’re just go in and take a look with ground penetrating radar and magnetometry, and hopefully we’ll find some,” said Calhoun.