shippingsteel Posted 5 May , 2012 Share Posted 5 May , 2012 Came across this tidy piece in my travels today. Its a fairly well preserved example that is said to be ex the Australian War Memorial collection. I have learnt not to mistake plaques and captions for the actual truth, so was hoping for a second opinion from the esteemed GWF brains trust. Aside from that I also thought some might like to see the pictures. Looking forward to your thoughts and assistance regarding the identification. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodB Posted 5 May , 2012 Share Posted 5 May , 2012 10.5 cm leichte Feldhaubitze 16 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 5 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 5 May , 2012 Made by the Rheinische Metallwaren und Maschinenfabrik (Rheinmetall) in 1917 with serial number 7785. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieBris Posted 5 May , 2012 Share Posted 5 May , 2012 Is that the 10cm lFH 16 in the Botanic Gardens at Rockhampton, Qld? Looks like it. There's no solid information on where this lFH 16 came from but there are other guns in Australia with similar serial numbers which were captured in Palestine in 1918. I'd have to dig out my notes but from memory 7786, 7784, 7783 are in Australia. The Rockhampton City Council exchanged a colonial era 6 inch gun (ex-HMQS Paluma) for the lFH 16. It looks like they've just dumped it in the park and haven't bothered about it since. More images of this gun at AMMS Brisbane (more Qld WW1 guns at that location) Regards, Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 5 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 5 May , 2012 Thats the one Charlie, and by the look of the earlier photos in your link, it has been deteriorating. I'm not really surprised re the lack of maintenance.! Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 5 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 5 May , 2012 Another angle, shame about the shadows, but apart from that it was a beautiful day all round. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieBris Posted 6 May , 2012 Share Posted 6 May , 2012 Even worse is the condition of the guns beside the Swimming Pool in South Rockhampton. If you contrast the condition of the guns at Wandoan, Childers and Rosewood (all small towns) with the Rockhampton guns the performance of the Rockhampton Regional Council looks even more pathetic. Regards, Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 6 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 May , 2012 Also disappointing is that this piece guards the entranceway to the very impressive War Memorial cenotaph which recently hosted the Dawn Service on Anzac Day. If only a small percentage of the many thousands that turned out for that ceremony could have dropped a coin in a tin, surely it would pay for some of the upkeep.? Sometimes I think that these things would be better off being kept in private collections. The public may like to see them, but the councils can never find any money.! Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 6 May , 2012 Share Posted 6 May , 2012 They are really penny pinchers maren't they. A couple of hundred of bucks for a scrape back to bare metal and a decent coat of outdoor paint and the guns would be ok for a few more years. Trouble is it is too long ago for anyone to care anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieBris Posted 6 May , 2012 Share Posted 6 May , 2012 Not quite the case in Australia and New Zealand - April 25 is a public holiday - ANZAC day - commemorating the Gallipoli landings. There are parades and services to remember the fallen of all wars. The guns just get forgotten - the councils seem to have mixture of businessmen and fairly radical people, neither of whom would be expected to have any interest in history. The Oz Federal Govt has promised to spend money on the centenary of Gallipoli in 2015 - so far this looks like its going to be a "dog and pony" show for politicians and their mates. A couple of mill invested as a trust to look after the guns in perpetuity would be much smarter but probably wouldn't play well with the Murdoch press. Regards, Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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