THE CANNONS IN RICHMOND PARK
Myth sometimes becomes
reality. One such example is the case of the cannons in Richmond Park. The
existence of the cannons had never been in doubt as many long term Hawkesbury
residents recalled having played on them as children. What was hotly debated
was the issue of what had happened to them and why it had occurred. This is how
it was reported:
SEARCH FOR CANNONS A SHOT IN THE DARK
An attempt to find the missing
cannons in Richmond Park, which have been causing headaches for local
historians over recent years, failed on Thursday.
Seven RAAF members from No 1
Central Ammunition Depot at Kingswood equipped with powerful Forsters metal
detectors converged on the park at about 8am. Despite the detectors
capabilities of being able to find unexploded bombs to a depth of six metres,
the cannons avoided detection. The RAAF personnel combed the park area for
about three hours finding nothing more than pipes, wires and a large piece of
iron.
Mr. Alex Hendrikson, of the
Windsor Businessmen's Association who along with other members of the
organisation is keen to have the cannons found and restored, said the
association would continue its search for the cannons which began about ten
years ago. Mr. Hendrikson said he first heard about the cannons at a Parramatta
auction in 1975.
"Mr. Gerald Terry, of
Rouse Hill House said he could remember two eight foot barrell mussle (sic)
loading cannons being buried beneath the Richmond Park pavillion (sic)".
"He claimed a slab of
concrete was put on top of them", Mr. Hendrikson said.
"Since then we have
received about 12 approaches from different people who know of the cannons
existence."
"The only problem is
everyone seems to have a different location to where they were buried."
Mr. Hendrikson said there were
several reasons why the cannons were buried. "One was because the
undercarriages were rotten and had fallen to bits and the easiest way of
disposing of them was to bury them on site because of their weight."
The exact location of their
burial has become a problem. "Everyone has a different location," Mr.
Hendrikson said.
"Our aim is to have the
cannons found and restored. According to information received it would not be a
major task to restore the cannons and have new carriages built."
Mr. Hendrikson described the
search for the cannons as "frustrating". "We are so close yet so
far away it seems ", he said.
"One day we hope they
will be found and restored and resited. We will keep pursuing it until we find
them", Mr. Hendrikson said.
Two Richmond residents have
come forward in recent days with information about the missing cannons.
Mr. Ron Sullivan remembers the
cannons in Richmond Park from as early as 1904. As a child he often played on
the cannons. Mr. Sullivan left the area in1912 and did not return until 1921;
the cannons having been buried in that period. He remembers the cannons as
being 6-7 feet long and mounted on two wheels.
"The wheels were wooden
but had metal rims around them", he said.
"The wooden spokes on the
wheels were deteriorating even in 1904."
Mr. Sullivan said that the
rear end of the cannons was about 15 inches in diameter, whilst the muzzle was
12 inches in diameter. The rear end of the cannon carried shafts about six feet
long, which Mr. Sullivan believes were used in conjunction with horses for
transport.
Mr. George Dell of Pitt Street
has also come forward with information about the cannons. He recalled one
cannon about eight feet long in the Richmond Park when he was a schoolboy
between 1919 and 1923, and believes he can still indicate where it was buried.
Both men have been contacted
by Dr. Stubbs with a view to assisting in the cannon search.
(Hawkesbury Courier - 21st
February, 1985).
TWO CANNONS FOUND
Two 19th century cannon,
buried on Richmond Oval for more than 60 years, were excavated yesterday They
were found in a search on Sunday with equipment owned by an amateur prospector
and unearthed by council equipment yesterday morning. Preliminary examinations
indicate the cannons are 120 to 180 years old, possibly of Crimean War vintage
and of the type issued to many parts of the colony when fears were held of a
Russian invasion. The cannons are believed to have been buried about 60 years
ago.
Cr. Rex Stubbs, who with Mr.
Alex Hendrikson has been coordinating the search, made arrangements with
Hawkesbury Shire Council for excavation of the cannon, found a metre inside the
oval boundary fence fronting the grandstand.
The search also revealed signs
of a third cannon near the Richmond memorial but this was found to be an old
water pipe. Sunday's discovery ends a number of unsuccessful searches over the
past twelve months for the site of the buried cannons, as reported by a number
of long-time residents.
Mr. Henry Gascoigne, 77, of
March Street, Richmond, showed Sunday's search party the likely site of the two
cannons in front of the grandstand. Their presence was confirmed by metal
detectors owned by Mr. Eric Ridgeway, of Wilberforce, an amateur gold prospector
who read about the cannon search in last week's Hawkesbury Gazette and offered
his services to the search leaders.
The Gazette reported that a
search on February 7 by RAAF personnel using detectors had failed to find signs
of the cannon around Richmond Oval.
South African-born Mr.
Gascoigne recalled several cannons of the muzzle-loading type near the
grandstand when he attended Richmond School from 1913 onwards.
"Children used to sit on
and play around the guns", he said.
He believes the wooden gun mountings
rotted to the stage where they became a hazard to the pupils of the nearby
school who used the grandstand surrounds as a playground.
"Brass fittings were
taken off the guns and taken to the Richmond council offices, but I have been
unable to trace them", Mr. Gascoigne said.
He could not recall the guns
being buried but had been told of the spot where holes had been dug and the
guns tipped into them when they became a danger to children.
He believes the cannon were
buried where they stood because of their weight and lack of machines to move
them elsewhere. Mr. Gascoigne took the search party to the spot pointed out to
him several years ago as the burial site of the cannons. Within minutes Mr.
Ridgeway had readings on his equipment, indicating a metal object three metres
long and a metre wide buried less than a metre down on one site.
Mr. Hendrikson, using a rope,
traced the outline of a cannon, dictated by the metal detector. A similar
exercise produced the outline of another cannon near the oval gate.
"Mr. Gascoigne was fairly
accurate in pointing out their sites", Mr. Ridgeway said.
(Hawkesbury Gazette - 27th
February, 1985.)
HISTORY OF THE CANNONS
The two cannons were
manufactured by the Lawmoor Arms Founders, Bradford, Yorkshire, England in
1855.
Service numbers were 6361 and
6482.
The two cannons were sent from
Sydney in 1884 to form the Bulli Artillery (Half Company) under Captain McCabe
in response to the Russian invasion scare.
The guns were retired from
active service in the mid-1890's and positioned in front of the Married
Quarters at Signal Hill, Wollongong, until c1901.
The cannons are 32 pounders
(six and a half inch) smooth bore muzzle loading. The three metre long barrel
weigh 2500 Kg. Their range is 2900 yards, and they fire a variety of ball-shot.
It is believed the cannons
were transferred to Richmond Park in late 1904 or early 1905. Records of the
Richmond Borough Council meeting of 16th February, 1905, indicate that the
cannons were in the park. The Mayor, Ald. T.J. Griffiths, presented a costing
to the Council Meeting of 2nd March, 1905.
|
The Mayor, Ald. T.J.
Griffiths, presented a costing to the Council Meeting of 2nd March, 1905.
|
|
|
|
L. s. d.
|
|
Railway freight for gun
carriage from Darling Harbour
|
1-0-2
|
|
Railway freight on two
cannon from Wollongong to Richmond
|
3-18-4
|
|
Cartage on gun carriage
|
1-4-6
|
|
Cartage on carriages
(Wollongong)
|
2-5-0
|
|
Cartage from railway station
to park
|
0-7-6
|
|
Casual labour
|
0-3-0
|
|
Cost remittance
|
0-1-0
|
|
Balance in hand
|
1-15-0
|
|
|
_______
|
|
Total amount collected
|
10-14-6
|
The Windsor and Richmond
Gazette of 11th March, 1905, reports:
The Mayor stated that there
was one thing to be done now they had the cannons in their places, and that was
to put sleepers under the wheels, to prevent them slipping into the earth. He
would suggest putting two sleepers under each wheel.
Ald. Ausburn: Seeing there is
a surplus, I would like to have the late Ald. Cobcroft's inscription put on the
cannon.
The mayor said it was
understood from the fund that if there was anything over and above the cost of
the cannon that something in the direction of Ald. Ausburn's suggestion could
be done. He could get a little more money. One or two gentlemen had told him if
he hadn't enough they would willingly give a little more - in fact he (the
speaker) would give another 10/6 towards it.
The Council minutes of 2nd
March, 1905, record:
Moved by Ald. Ausburn Sec.
Ald. Mitchell and carried
that the thanks of the Council
are due to the Mayor for his services in collecting the money and supervising
the placing of the cannon in Richmond Park.
that matters be left in the
Mayor's hands to carry out the wishes of subscribers re the expenditure of the
balance of L. 1.15.0.
Alderman George Cobcroft was
proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, Richmond, and Mayor of the town at the time
of his death on 17th December, 1904, at the age of 48. (See obituary Windsor
and Richmond Gazette - 24th December, 1904).
When excavated in 1985, a beer
bottle dated 1927 was found in the barrel of the southern-most cannon and a
1935 penny alongside the northern-most cannon.
There is a tradition that the
cannons were buried after the submarine attack on Sydney Harbour on 31st May,
1942. However, as the cannons were quite superficial when excavated, it is more
likely that the explanation given by Mr. Henry Gascoigne is correct.
Historic photographs also show
a cannon in the vicinity of the Memorial. The minutes of Richmond Council for
29th July, 1933 report: Ald. Caton moved that the two war trophies be handed to
the militia unit at Richmond, seconded by Ald. Farlow and carried.
The minutes of the Council
meeting of 12th March, 1942, report:
The Mayor reported verbally
that he had caused Road Director Signs to be taken down and had returned the
War Trophy Howitzer to Victoria Barracks for use by the military authorities.
This undoubtedly refers to the
World War One German Howitzer trophy near the Railway Station.
After excavation the cannons
were taken to the R.A.A.F. Base, Richmond, where they were expertly restored by
the No. 2 Aircraft Depot Armament Section. The wheels and carriages were
completely replaced. Only the barrels survived the fifty years underground.
The cannons were handed over
to Hawkesbury Shire Council President, Cr. John Horrex, in December, 1988. They
have since been returned to Richmond Park.
OLD CANNONS RESTORED
Two fully restored 19th
century cannons were presented to the Hawkesbury Shire Council last Tuesday by
members of the No. 2 Aircraft Depot at Richmond RAAF Base.
The cannons were presented to
the Hawkesbury Shire President, Councillor John Horrex by the Commander of the
Richmond Air Base, Air Commodore John Mitchell.
Cr. Horrex praised the RAAF
members responsible for the restoration and said the cannons would probably be
placed in Richmond Park.
Flight Lt. Francisci, who was
in charge of the project, said a lot of effort went into the restoration of the
cannons.
The project started in January
this year, utilising the skills of RAAF blacksmiths and carpenters.
A sketch drawing of the
original cannons was closely followed in order to achieve authenticity.
Although the wheels and body
of the cannons were recreated, the barrels were the original ones from 1855
which were dug up in Richmond Park in 1985.
The 32 pound, smooth bore,
muzzle loading cannons were initially used for coastal defence at Wollongong.
In 1924, they were considered
unsuitable for such a role. Councils applied to mount them in local parks and
Hawkesbury Council was successful in its application.
A fear of an invasion by the
Japanese in 1939 led to all potentially 'fireable' cannons being rendered
unusable.
Most were burnt or destroyed
but the size of the cannons in Richmond Park, which weighed 3 tons each, made
this impossible. Instead they were buried.
Members of No 2 Aircraft Depot
believe it was worth the effort put into their restoration and claim the
cannons are now "priceless".
(Hawkesbury Courier - 22nd
December, 1988.)
Note: The cannons arrived in
Richmond Park probably in late 1904, rather than 1924. They were provided to
Richmond Borough Council, which was subsequently amalgamated with Windsor
Borough Council in 1949 to form Windsor Municipality - further amalgamation
with Colo Shire Council resulted in the formation of Hawkesbury Shire Council ,
which in 1991 became Hawkesbury City Council.
Japan entered World War Two on
7th December, 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
RESTORED CANNONS TO BE HOUSED IN STYLE
The two historic and somewhat
mysterious 2500 kg coastal defence cannons literally unearthed from enforced
obscurity at Richmond Park in 1985 will soon become the centrepiece of
Hawkesbury's latest tourist attraction.
Hawkesbury City Council has
just released sketch plans prepared by architect Alex O'Grady of what will
hopefully be a vandal-proof cannon house to accommodate the two weighty relics
from the bygone era of powder and shot.
According to the council's
senior strategic planner Alice Branjes, the proposed building will comprise an
aluminium frame with a steel roof and will have a recessed brick paved area
with clear perspex-type walls so the cannons will be able to be viewed but not
touched.
Town clerk Garry McCully said
the exact site and the final plans had yet to be decided as the project has
first to be approved in principle by the Heritage Council because Richmond Park
is the subject of a permanent conservation order....
(Hawkesbury Gazette - 18th
October, 1989)
RICHMOND CANNONS LAID TO REST
Providing their is no war in
Australia for the next century, Richmond's historic cannons should remain were
they were placed last week - above ground at Richmond Park facing the railway
station.
And if there is a war- and the
locals become nervous that the enemy may use the guns on Hawkesbury residents,
as they did before the Second World War - let's hope somebody has the foresight
to note where the cannons were buried so there is no repeat performance of
searching for the old relics.
The cannons were reportedly
discovered in Richmond Park in 1985 by Eric Ridgeway, Ald Rex Stubbs and Alex
Hendrikson, after a lengthy search by the Richmond RAAF.
The unsung hero at the time,
Henry Gascgoine(sic), apparently pointed out the location of the cannons to the
three keen prospectors, because he remembered playing on them in 1913.
The two cannons, which date
back to the Boer War, were buried in Richmond Park when it appeared that the
Japanese were going to land on Australian soil.
Fortunately or unfortunately,
depending if you enjoy a mystery, everyone either forgot about where the cannons
were buried, or else forgot about burying them in the first place.
Several calls for expression
of interest from people willing to subsidise the housing of the cannons, moves
to have the cannons located from places as diverse as the Richmond RAAF base,
the Windsor library, McQuade Park, and the Powerhouse Museum, all fell by the
wayside as the current team of Hawkesbury City Council aldermen took up office.
Suggestions of housing the
cannons in a glass box, somehow incorporating a coin operated machine so people
could learn their history, and spraying them with "super" spray to
protect them from the graffiti artists' spray can were discarded without so
much as a whimper.
Pleas by the Hawkesbury
Historical Society to place the cannons in Richmond Park were at long last
answered.
And just as Henry Gascgoine
and other children of the early 1900s played on the cannons in a past era, the
historic guns are ready to be enjoyed by another generation of Hawkesbury
residents and tourists.
(Hawkesbury Gazette - 11th
December, 1991)
