Yearbook Update 2018

18 Pounder Restoration
Bombardier Marty Vanderzalm came out with his team and achieved some significant milestones on the restoration. The breech is now open! There was a time that we thought that it would never open. However, with the application of some trusty penetrating oil and the judicial use of heat, the breech swung open. It still needs some extensive cleaning before it will open freely but we can now scrub down the barrel and work on the firing mechanism.
Speaking of the barrel: When we shone a flashlight down we were quite dejected at first. There appeared to be a concrete plug placed in the barrel that would have caused a horrendous problem. Luckily, once the breech was opened, the plug turned out to be wooden with some old rags. Other than that, the barrel looks in excellent condition. The shield was also removed to allow us to access some of the elevation and traversing mechanism. That's the task for 16th January 2019. In the meantime, we're still trying to track down some 7.5 x 24 tires. Check out the 18 Pounder story here.