Derek gives new life to rare WWI artefact

One of the last surviving First World War artefacts of its type has been lovingly and painstakingly restored to its former glory by an east Antrim man.

Ballycarry’s Derek Beattie refers to the restoration of the ammunition wagon as his ‘Covid Lockdown Project’ and the time and effort which has gone into the unique project is clear to see.

Photographs show the old wagon in a dilapidated state at its former home on the south coast of England.

But after months of hard work the vehicle has been restored to the point of being hardly recognisable from the rusting wreck which Derek and a friend travelled to Chichester to bring home on a trailer.

The wagon was for 4.5” shells and would have carried 32 rounds of ammunition as well as engineer’s tools.

Three men would have sat on the horse-drawn wagon, which was used to supply Ordnance QF 4.5 inch howitzers.

The detail of restoration is highlighted by replacement leather straps (fashioned at the Oldmill Saddlery in Ballycarry) which were located for the men to hold on to as they sat on the wagon seat as it was pulled by horses to the howitzers.

As the years went on some of the wagons, which were adapted for motorised vehicles, were sold off and the one which Derek has restored ended up in the south of England.

A few years ago Derek and a team of helpers managed to restore one of the howitzers which he had purchased from a private dealer.

From that point Derek said he was keeping a watchful eye on the ammunition wagon, which he was aware enthusiast Clive Hughes had among his collection.

“Clive was in his 80s and he would never sell the ammunition wagon but after I restored the howitzer I got a phone call from him to see was I interested in it,” Derek explained.

“I had to get two new wheels made from the same company in Kent that made wheels for the howitzer and I also had to make a lot of the parts which were needed.

“I studied photographs of these wagons and that helped what is a very authentic restoration.

“The late Willie Marsden helped me with the braking system.”

Derek believes that only a very small number of the ammunition wagons are in the hands of private collectors, but the odds become even shorter for collectors who have an ammunition wagon and the howitzer that it supplied.

He said he enjoys the challenge of working on old vehicles, and seeing the transformation.

And now that he has completed the work on the ammunition wagon Derek has a 1963 dumper truck which was lying rusting in a field he is working on.