Tarkastad isn’t a big town with many monuments even though there is a lot of history attached to the town. I was very surprised when discovered an old cannon on the corner of Murray Street and Queen Street, a block away from the Tarkastad War Memorial.
On closer inspection I discovered a plaque on the gun reading as follows:
CAPTURED IN THE GREAT WAR
1914 – 18
BY THE ALLIED FORCES
AND PRESENTED TO TARKASTAD
BY THE GOVERNMENT
I have searched the internet from side to side and haven’t been able to pick up any information on the gun, where it came from, what battle it was captured in or why it came to Tarkastad. In fact, I can’t even find any photos of it posted by anybody. A quick Google Lens search told me that it could be 7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art field gun used by Germany in World War I. Its most likely that this was one of the guns captured by Allied Forces in South West Africa (today Namibia).
The gun combined the barrel of the earlier 7.7 cm FK 96 with a recoil system, a new breech and a new carriage. Existing FK 96s were upgraded over time. The FK 96 n.A. was shorter-ranged, but lighter than the French Canon de 75 modèle 1897 or the British Ordnance QF 18 pounder gun; the Germans placed a premium on mobility, which served them well during the early stages of World War I. However, once the front had become static, the greater rate of fire of the French gun and the heavier shells fired by the British gun put the Germans at a disadvantage. The Germans remedied this by developing the longer-ranged, but heavier 7.7 cm FK 16. As with most guns of its era, the FK 96 n.A. had seats for two crewmen mounted on its splinter shield.
The history fans in Tarkastad recently formed the Tarkastad History Society and I hear they’re looking at putting together a historic exhibition at The Story Coffee Shop in the town. I hope they will look at possibly getting permission to move the gun to a secure position at the coffee shop and getting some restoration work done. My big fear is that it will get more and more damaged and vandalised where it currently stands and eventually, this piece of history will get lost as well.
