Farley Mowat's Stug

[jdmcm]

Was recently reading an article on the Weald Foundation Stug in the UK, which evidently is one of the vehicles collected by Farley Mowat and returned to Canada following WW2. Does anyone know how this vehicle ended up in private hands in the first place? Seems to be a bit of a national treasure that should still to this day be the property of Canada. Must be an interesting tale of how it ended up with a German re-enactment group in California then eventually the UK. Anyone know actual story?

IMG_4615.JPG
Photo credit: Weald Foundation

[Perry Kitson]

This may be the Stug that Bill Gregg collected from a range here in Canada (Shilo perhaps?) for his museum/collection. The one he did have was sold to somene in the States later. I am sure Stew can shed more light on this topic.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

There’s more info in this thread:

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9628

[David Dunlop]

Thanks for linking that up, Hanno. That is indeed the old Shilo Stug.

At one time, there used to be a Base Gate situated on the western approach to CFB Shilo. The Stug sat on the North side of the road near the gate, facing west. On the opposite side of the road sat a Long Tom heavy artillery piece that had served with a Newfoundland Regiment during the war.

A few years after GATES was established at CFB Shilo, the western gate disappeared, along with the Stug. The local story was that some higher ups at the base deemed the Stug was a ‘tank’ and not appropriate for an artillery museum so it was traded out west for something more ‘artillery appropriate’. Not at all sure what that actually was, but I suspect that in the process of the trade, Shilo may have lost title to the Stug. From what we knew at the time, the engine from the Stug was removed when it became one of the gate guardians and it was probably either scrapped, or some farmer bought it and its sitting in a shed somewhere in the area. There used to be a big surplus/scrap dealer in the Brandon area that bought a lot of stuff from the base. Might have ended up there. And the rest, as they say, is history.

David

[rob love]

I was sent these photos from Colin a few months back, trying to confirm if it was Shilo. In the photo, the vehicle is parked across from the chapel on what is now the MFRC parking lot. We now have the canoe memorial park across the street form this location.

Re how it/ they left Shilo, I have heard 3 or 4 stories, so it is hard to pin down which one is true. Suffice to say the museum used to be run by the military. It is now run by civilians better trained in museum operations and procedures.

I'm not sure I would call it a national treasure mind you. Had it been one that Currie won his VC helping to knock out, then perhaps. Was it valuable....no doubt. But a national treasure?

Several other Farley Mowatt pieces were discarded to the local milsurp yard back in the 70s as part of a compound cleanup. They have since all found new homes. We have verified several pieces which remain in Shilo as Farley Mowatt bring-backs.

[Perry Kitson]

Looks like a Jagdpanzer IV in the photo on the left. I wonder where it went to. Ottawa?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Makes for interesting reading:

Canadian War Trophies

War Prize Weapons & Equipment in Canada from the Crimean War, the Fenian Raids, the Boer War, the Great War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Yugoslav Wars and Afghanistan.

Data current to 13 April 2019

http://silverhawkauthor.com/canadian...phies_326.html

The subject Stug is not listed, but the other is:

"German Sturmgeschütz StuG III Ausf G SdKfz 142/2 Assault Gun, barrel (Serial No. R5453). This StuG III was brought to Canada by Captain Farley Mowat and his Intelligence Collection Team in 1945. It was later placed an artillery range where is served as a range target until it was recovered for the Canadian War Museum."

German-Second-World-War-StuG-III-Assault-Gun--Canadian-War-Museum--Ottawa--Ontario--11-.jpg

[Ed Storey]

As I stated back in Post #24, with respect to Stugs, it looks like Canada gave away the runner and kept the wreck. I'd be curious to see an actual wartime manifest of the vehicles Farley had sent back as a lot of stuff is attributed to him.

[James P]

The "Farley Mowat" Stug is in the very best of hands and given the finest of attention to detail during a complete and through restoration, done right by a dedicated and competent outfit.