mg 08

[MG1918]

Mg08

Jim great MG08. Thousands of captured German MGs went to Canada after WWI as trophies, into Legions etc. Lovely piece though and personally I would not touch it at all. More photos required!!!! Very envious.
Mark

[MG1918]

Mg08

Jim, Alan .Geoff.
Great piece. Someone somewhere said that around 4,000 MG08s went to Canada after WWI!!! Great piece though and personally I would not touch/restore as it seems overall in great condition. Having said that I am stripping and re-painting a sled as its 'modern' colour was ''outrageous''!!

Alan do you have images of your set up now??

Geoff - there are thousands of lewis in Canada? Are you looking for a relic or deac?

Mark
ps I am posting images in Imperial sections but here are images of my sled restore.
[img=http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/2875/jjkkjj037.th.jpg]
[img=http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/8200/dsc02523y.th.jpg]
[img=http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/7760/dsc02519f.th.jpg]
[img=http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/3430/latestsledimages028.th.jpg]

[NZMark]

Wonderful, superb, envious, slobberingly jealous...all the superlatives.
I'm a huge fan of battle damaged items, and other than the paint, I'm with Mark F. on the restoration side of things. Leave it as is (besides getting it back to it's original, or 'natural' finish). This will be a hugely enjoyable project, and the care taken now will ensure generations to come will appreciate the 'ol girl for what she meant at the time she was souvenired...
Love It.
Best Regards from New Zealand,
Mark

[Mike39]

Mg)*

I realise this is an old thread but if the owner still has this MG08, I hope you haven't attempted to restore it. The black paint may well indicate that its Turkish issue.
The following photo is of a privately owned example that has belonged to the same family since it was bought back from Gallipoli as a war trophy ( one of the only known examples ). It was captured at Chunuk Bair and turned and used against the Turks as they retreated. When it was bought back to the families home, it was placed outside as a gate gardian and occassionally used for target practice after the veteran had polished off a bottle of Whisky. Hense the bullet holes in the water jacket.

Mike

[MG1918]

Relic

Hide the whiskey bottles!!!

Interesting. This is not a MG08 (might be a MG09 or commercial variant) and it has a MG08/15 muzzle assembly.
Commercial tripod German made but can you provide more images?
Thanks
Mark

[MG1918]

Mg

Mike can you photo top cover and image from the rear?
VMT
Mark

[Alan Smith]

Here are some photos of a so-called "Monument Gun" in Canada. I'm not sure where I got these photos; it may have been off of prior posts in this Forum.

In any event, a friend of mine who lived in Canada in the 1960's indicated that it was very common to see these "Monument Gun" MG-08's in all the small towns.

[Alan Smith]

Monument Gun #2

[Alan Smith]

Monument Gun #3

[Alan Smith]

Monument Gun #4

[MG1918]

Monument MG

Alan superb photos. Strangely though when I see this lovely monument I am torn between the purpose of a commemorative 'symbol' and the retention and preservation of historical pieces. Perhaps in another 100 years or so there will not be much left of this piece, but then in 1918 there were thousands and it would not really have been a concern!
It is essential that any war dead (and maimed) are remembered but I wonder if it is time that if there are still many monument guns left that they are painted with preservative very long lasting paint etc in order to prolong the life. So sad if many are indeed just rusting away.
Mark

[Alan Smith]

Mark,

I'm not "torn" at all: these guns need to come in out of the elemets and be preserved, in public museums (if any such museum is interested) or in private collections. The monument is very nice and touching, but it need not include a historic artifact that, if left out in the elements, will eventually deteriorate into nothing.

By the way: I am informed that such "Monument Guns" are no longer common in Canada, most of them having had their MG-08's removed over the years for preservation in public and/or private collections.

I would be very interested in hearing from our Canadian members on this point.

[MG1918]

Monuments

I do understand what you say Alan and agree totally about preservation but personally for me those monument guns that are left should be now totally physically preserved, but remain in situ. The MG08 and sled are not rare items and around the world there are still many many in museums and private hands - they are even still used as live firing platforms in the USA!
So although I love the sled mount, and seek to find and purchase 2 patterns of schlitten, I am sad to see deterioation, but not so sad to see them as items of remembrance. There are about 50 sleds in UK that I know of - in military museums, national museum and private hands but I suspect there will be a few more in UK private hands not publicised. For the time being the symbolic image and what the MG represents for me means keep them in wide public view, but please please cover them in weather/rust resistant coats.
As a side issue I would love to know if anybody knows of a MG08 as a 'monument' in UK, France or Belgium?
Mark

[MG1918]

Photos

Forgot to say thanks for posting those images Alan they are superb - whatever we think about how to preserve and where that actual monument should be - it is very impressive. Can you send me by email the images please so that I can use them in a presentation? If that is allowed?
Mark
mark.finneran@hotmail co.uk although I am in Mons, Belgium.

[Alan Smith]

Good deal, Mark. I have sent you an e-mail with .jpg files of the photos in question.