Yesterday was the May Day parade at Fort Langley, one of the oldest (European) settlements in British Columbia.
As part of the festivities, the Canadian Armed Forces had a newish 105 mm howitzer on hand. Quite an amazing piece of machinery, really. It weighs easily a couple of tons, but my 5-year old son could adjust elevation with one hand, and my 9-year old daughter could traverse the barrel with very little effort.
I took a shot straight down the barrel. Note that the barrel is rifled so that shells will spin as they exit the field piece and fly true. Also (obviously) the breech block is open at the back of the gun, or else the pic would bear a startling resemblance to a black hole. Given the condition of the barrel, you have to wonder if it’s ever been fired:
It was a little interesting to me – just a few days after the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Canadian army liberating Holland – to note that this gun was built in 1998 in Rotterdam:
