Object may be missing part of Krupp gun

A metal object buried underground near the South African War memorial in Cooks Gardens may be the one missing piece of Wanganui's historic Krupp gun.

An attempt will soon be launched to find the limber - the cart attached to the gun which carried ammunition.

The Krupp gun and its limber were presented to Wanganui by the New Zealand Government in recognition of the service of local volunteers in the South African War of 1899-1902.

The gun, which was built in Germany in the 1890s, was captured by British forces during that war.

When it arrived in Wanganui, it was put on display next to the South African War memorial but, during World War II, it and the limber were buried, apparently for security reasons.

The gun was later excavated and recently restored. It was officially presented to the Wanganui District Council by the Wanganui Antiquities Trust in May last year. Since then it has remained on display in the War Memorial Hall.

The whereabouts of the limber remains unknown.

Pete Gray, deputy community and cultural manager, told councillors at a committee meeting this week that discussions had been held with Geoff Lawson and Martin Emerson of Wanganui Antiquities Trust about the possibility of replicating the limber.

However, Mr Gray said a grant of $5000 from Veterans Affairs NZ had allowed the council to contract an archaeologist to do a magnometer survey of the area around the South African War memorial.

"The survey indicates that there is an object of the correct dimensions in place where the limber is thought to have been buried," he said.

Mr Gray told councillors an area of about 2sq m would be dug up using volunteers, once the Rugby World Cup was over. He was unsure how much the operation would cost.

"We don't know what is buried there but it is the right shape for the limber. Whatever it is, it's unlikely to be in good condition."