Restored artillery gun unveiled at Springs War Memorial
A restored G1 25-pound artillery gun now stands proudly at the Springs War Memorial after months of restoration work by JR Mackays Diesel and Motor Engineering to honour fallen soldiers and preserve local history.
The Springs War Memorial is now home to a G1 25-pound artillery gun that was restored by JR Mackays Diesel and Motor Engineering.
The military piece was offered by the Springs Mine and Military Museum and lifted and placed by Delmas Crane Hire on May 5.
Dirk Human, JR Mackays director, touched on the skills and resources it took to restore the gun.
“It took a lot of patience, time, effort and financial resources. We had the expertise and passion for restoring and preserving the history of our town and honouring our fallen soldiers,” he said.
He reflected on its state before restoration, stating that it was in a state of ruin, rusted and in disrepair.
“We had the whole gun sandblasted by Eziblast (Frans Prinsloo) and primer painted. Once received back, stripping down of the complete gun assembly started. By doing so, the extent of damage could be established, and restoration began,” Human explained.
The team proceeded to strip, clean, sand, repair, respray, polish and reassemble the components.
“This was all done by our staff members at JR Mackays, which was time-consuming. Within this process, the rest of the staff was very excited to see the final product,” he added.
The bigger parts of the gun were painted military green. Its leather bags and straps were designed and manufactured in-house.
He added that although assembling and polishing the gun was challenging, it was worth it.
“We even had a fellow combatant, Gerhard Jacobs, share his experiences with this specific gun in Angola, and it was extremely special to all involved,” he said.
After the complete restoration of the memorial in 2023, JR Mackays officially became the custodians of the JR Mackays Springs War Memorial and, with the assistance of ProSafe Security, have been able to display restored World War artillery pieces.
“We are very proud to have added this canon to our memorial, specifically in 2026, as we are celebrating our company’s 80th anniversary.
“We are also very proud to be able to give back to the town and the community by transforming the upper part of town into a showpiece to honour and respect all our fallen soldiers,” Human said.
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