Video and pictures: Brierley Hill's missing cannon back with a bang

When the cannon, perched above Brierley Hill's war memorial,went missing there were fears it had been stolen or sold for scrap.

It eventually emerged it had been removed from Church Hill by Dudley Council so they could spruce it up.

But there was drama yesterday as it turned out the crane brought in to lift it back into place was not big enough.

The situation was soon resolved, however, and a new machine arrived on site to carry out the work.

Officials said some delicate positioning was needed with the crane to get it back in exactly the right position on its plinth.

Restoration has cost between £2,000 and £3,000.

Dudley Council engineer Roger Brookes and retired engineer Stuart McMaster, an expert on former industrial works in the area, worked on the project.

Mr Brookes said: "Seeing the cannon restored to its proper place is a wonderful culmination of the project for us.

"It is a very important part of Brierley Hill's heritage and I know a lot of people in the town will be very glad to see it back in place.

"Because of its importance it was always the intention to have it back in position in time for Remembrance services and we have been able to achieve that.

"A new carriage for the cannon was needed as the old one had become rotten over the years. Because of this there was not a lot which could be salvaged.

"However we have been able to use some of the metal fittings in the new one."

An entirely new wooden carriage, the trolley the cannon sits on, has been created using traditional English oak after the old one became worn and rotten.

Engineering experts were able to salvage some of the iron fittings used in the original carriage and have used them in the creation of the new one.

The cannon's metalwork has been given a fresh coat of paint during the refurbishment.

And while it was away it allowed conservation work on the piece of artillery to be carried out.

The cannon was created by 19th century Brierley Hill manufacturers Bailey Pegg, which produced shot, shells and cannon for the British Army.

Mr McMaster, aged 74, of Kingswinford, said: "The cannon is not ornamental. At the time of its construction it could have been used. However, this is not now the case!

"I hope people in the town will like the work which has been done to restore it."

They said refurbishment had not taken long to carry out and complete once the piece of artillery had been moved.

Mr Brookes said: "Designs had to first be drawn up and approved before the work could begin. Once that part of the project was completed things progressed very quickly."

The cannon stands near to Brierley Hill War Memorial which depicts First World War soldier Stanley Harley. He was the first man from the town to be awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

The cannon was presented by Bailey Pegg to the town following the Siege of Mafeking, the most famous British action in the Second Boer War.

It is a six-pounder with a four-wheeled wooden carriage.