This week’s photograph shows

This week’s photograph shows Kit Lovie our catering manager struggling with Blue the Association’s mascot.

The Lovies were on holiday in Banff when Blue spotted the cannon standing outside the Townhouse and decided he’d like to have a go at firing it. The cannon was captured from the Russians during the Siege of Sevastopol in 1855. Following the Crimean campaign captured cannons were brought back to the U.K. and presented to various towns and cities as trophies of war.

Three captured cannons were presented to the City of Edinburgh and placed beside the Nelson Monument on the Calton Hill. A Russian cannon still stands pointing out to sea at Hartlepool, County Durham.

The Victoria Cross is cast from the cascabels of two cannons brought back to the U.K. from the Crimea. The barrels of the Chinese guns can be seen at Firepower the Royal Artillery’s Museum at Woolwich. The remaining piece of one of the cascabels is stored in a vault maintained by the Royal Logistic Corps at Donnington, Telford, Shropshire. When a medal is to be cast, the gunmetal is removed from the vault under armed guard.

The cannon fired by Blue when he opens Association events is definitely Scots and not Chinese as it was manufactured at North Berwick, East Lothian.

Photograph courtesy of John Lovie.