Historic Noon Day Gun and the role it could play today
THIS is a response to the letter about the Noon Gun by Stuart Diamond (Cape Argus, May 26).
I am pleased to see that somebody recognises the role that the Noon Gun played in giving the world the concept of a reverent pause in honour of the dead.
As the Commanding Officer of Wingfield, the Noon Gun fell under my command and initiated my interest in old muzzle-loading cannon and formed part of my ongoing research.
I agree with the idea of the gun playing the same respectful role again in saluting the lives lost and honouring the front-line workers who are protecting us from Covid19.
There is however a bit of “fake news” that has crept into Mr Diamond’s article, that of the gun calling the farmers to bring their produce to market. There was never a gun used to summon farmers to market. This was an incorrect assumption by early historians which has been repeated over and over in high historical circles, with nobody willing to question its accuracy.
There were actually several gun signal systems in the Cape but early historians regarded them as one single system and combined their functions.
There was a dedicated signal system consisting of more than fifty guns between the Castle and Swellendam in the east and Piekenierskloof in the north-west.
This system was designed only to call the Burghers to the Castle in order to defend the Cape from any form of threat.
Early historians knew that traders who lived in the settlement heard a smaller gun situated on Lion’s Head whose sole purpose was to advise the Castle of the pending arrival of a ship and they would act in anticipation of extra trade.
Bakers would bake, brewers would brew and wise men would lock their daughters away.
It was the combining of these three separate systems by historians which led to the “fake news” that the Noon Gun summoned farmers.
However Mr Diamond’s idea has great merit and deserves our full support; I just don’t know if modern man, in his rushed life will take the time to participate. GERRY DE VRIES | Researcher to Cannon Association of SA