World War I-era cannon found buried under Canadian baseball field

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Construction crews digging up a baseball field in Ontario made a surprising discovery -- a World War I-era German cannon buried under the pitcher's mound.

Officials in Amherstburg said crews were digging up the ballpark, which is to become the site of a new public school, on Monday when they discovered the forgotten cannon that was formerly on display at Centennial Park.

City officials said the cannon was brought to the town in 1922 and was displayed alongside a cenotaph at General Amherst High School. The cenotaph was moved to Centennial Park in 1971 to make way for an expansion to the school and the cannon, which was determined to be in poor condition, was buried underneath the monument.

The cannon was forgotten when the cenotaph was moved again in the 1980s and the area was turned into a baseball field with the gun still buried underneath.

The Greater Essex County District School Board said the cannon is being donated to the Town of Amherstburg.

"[We've] already received communication from a number of military historical associations that are interested in what we're doing with it and have even offered to help restore it," Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo told CBC News. "The historical significance I think just can't be overstated, it is really something."

Kevin Fox, Amherstburg's manager of policy and committees and the former operator of a Kingsville military museum, said the cannon is one of very few of its type to remain intact.

"During the Second World War, when there was a need for scrap metal, many of the war trophies were actually destroyed to contribute to the war effort. So while there were numerous examples that existed and were spread throughout the country, many of them do not survive," Fox said.