A UNIC URW-095 mini spider crane was taken to a remote countryside location, the village of Mametz in Picardy, France, to remove and reinstall a dragon sculpture at a World War I memorial.
With a 0.995 tonne capacity, the UNIC spider crane was first used to lift the 57kg Welsh red dragon centrepiece down from the Mametz Wood memorial. The monument features the dragon sculpture and a 3 metre tall sandstone plinth to commerate the soldiers from the 38th Welsh Division who fought in the attack of Mametz Wood during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. The memorial was built and dedicated in 1987, so before the battle’s 100 year anniversary in 2016 the site is being refurbished.
The dragon sculpture which was created by David Peterson was removed from the memorial by the UNIC mini crane so it could be taken away for cleaning, repairing and repainting. Once it had been fully refurbished, the UNIC machine hired from French UNIC crane dealers CTE Elevateurs returned to Mametz to lift the dragon back into position.
UNIC mini cranes have also been used to help create a war memorial at London Kings Cross Station and a stone monument for Bomber Command in Eastbourne.
