'Disappointing': Call to save Warrnambool's WWI gun from rusting away

When photos emerged of the WWI gun from Cannon Hill lying outside in a council depot, it was met with disappointment by veterans and the RSL.

Warrnambool war buff Christopher Loft has offered to do the restoration work himself and has written to council about it but is yet to hear back.

But he said since he raised the issue publicly, he had been contacted by businesses who were willing to help.

The two German howitzer guns were removed in 2020 for repair but only one returned because the other needed more extensive work.

The Standard was told last year it was being kept in storage to protect it from the weather but photos of it in pieces at the old Braithwaite Street tip site have prompted calls for its restoration.

The RSL's Tony Geyer said it was disappointing to see the WWI gun like that.

"It's a shame because that's part of Warrnambool's history and we should be doing what we can to preserve it," he said.

"I'm disappointed to see it like that."

Mr Geyer said if it was left out in the weather, it was only going to get worse.

"It is a shame seeing a piece of Warrnambool's history rotting away the way it is," he said.

Mr Geyer said if the council decided it wasn't intending to fix it, he hoped it would give it to someone who would rather than leave it in limbo.

He said there would be artillery associations keen to see it rebuilt and maintained.

"I'm sure there'd be ex-units out there that would be really keen to do that," he said.

RSL president Mike Bellamy said the whole area was a memorial precinct.

"All of these things should be maintained and given the respect they were originally dedicated for," he said.

Veteran Doug Heazelwood said the RSL would be greatly interested in being able to restore the gun.

"It would be a very expensive project to bring them back to new but they could be put into a presentable condition," he said.

Mr Heazelwood said he was also keen to see more detailed information boards about the history of the WWI artefacts erected at Cannon Hill to let people know why they were there.

He said the WWI guns were put on display at Cannon Hill as museum exhibits and it was a shame that the work wasn't done in the past to make sure they didn't rust away.

"As a community we should have taken better care of them," he said.

Mr Heazelwood said attention needed to now be given to restoring them.

He said it was about educating the public about the size and shocking nature of war.