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These next set of plans cover the period from 1898 to World War 1. The defences up to this point had all been Rifle Muzzle Loaded Guns which were slow to fire and designed to combat the first Ironclad warships launched by the French in 1859. However the current seaborne threat was now from fast raiders, small destroyers and predominantly torpedo boats. Fortunately new artillery had developed to counter the new threat. The problem of the gas leaks on the first breech loading guns had been solved. Two types of gun were planned for the Island, the 6 inch Breech Loading (BL) gun which fired at a rate of 8 rounds per minute and the 12 Pounder Quick Fire (QF) gun which had a rate of 15 rounds per minute, both significantly quicker than 5 minutes it took the gun crew of the RML guns to reload. A defence Committee report of 1884 highlighted these problems and subsequently the Royal Engineer and Royal Artillery Works Committee started work to resolve the issue.

A Torpedo Boat of the type the new defences were designed to defeat
A 12 Pounder QF gun of the type that would be deployed to the Island

There were 3 Batteries eventually designed for the Island each having 3 gun emplacements. The Western Battery nearest to Mount Edgcumbe and Eastern Battery closest to Mount Batten were designed for 12 Pounders. Sandwiched between them was the Central Battery designed for the 6 inch BL guns. We can look at the original designs and how they changed as WW1 approached together with the use of the various buildings over the next couple of weeks.

The Map or Site Plan for the 1st 12 Pounder QF Western Battery, the Central and Eastern Batteries have not yet been added

The first set of surveys were of some of the existing buildings and structures to show where the proposed new Western Battery would go and how the Magazine store would be utilised. The Map also shows how the Western Battery would link into the other forts that provided the outer and inner lines of defence to the Sound and how the arcs of the guns would overlap. The Outer line was Fort Bovisand, the Breakwater Fort and Fort Picklecombe. At this stage it appears the defences would still include the five 25 ton guns of the Main Battery and the Casemated Guns and the other 2 new Batteries would be added later in a step by step process. The previous defence building programme, the Palmerston Forts, became known as the Palmerston Follies because their immense cost and the fact they were obsolete within 30 years. All of around 180 of the Palmerston Forts were built at the same time meaning a massive financial commitment, not all were completed and some never started. This possibly accounts for the piecemeal approach to this defence upgrade and not to commit to all the upgrades at once. Although not all 180 forts would require upgrading it would still be a significant commitment if all the upgrades happened at once.

The full page survey for the Western Battery including the QF Magazine

The first of three Batteries built was the Western Battery in 1898. The design was done by the Royal Engineers from the CRE Office at Plymouth under authority from the Command at Devonport. I can’t find who did the construction, by this stage advertisements for tenders for contracts on Military bases had stopped though I wouldn’t be surprised if a local firm was contracted for the work or at least some of it. The Royal Engineers would still have been stretched to do all the upgrades covering the whole country that were happening at the time although it is still quite possible as there was no immediate threat they were used to work their way round at least some of the various defences upgrading them.

A close up of the site plan showing the position of the Batteries, the shelter is the building directly behind the Battery, the QF Magazine and the Range Finder in front of the Magazine
The plan of the three Gun Emplacements with the shelter directly behind the the gun emplacement to the left. The Ablution Block and Barracks are the buildings at the bottom of the drawing
This shows the three gun emplacements, two behind the apron are as they were built. The left hand emplacement was altered to take the WWII twin 6 pounder guns but is the original site of the 1898 emplacement. The shelter, is the first building behind the right hand emplacement.

Overall the Western Battery included 3 gun emplacements and was supported by the Quick Fire Magazine which was the old Tudor Powder House and the Range Finder Station which would give the gunner the range and elevation required to take on the enemy. Each Gun position was a low level open position with a metal baseplate to bolt the gun to the mount. Each position had 4 forward ammunition lockers. The ammunition would be moved from the Magazine to the Gun Position and stored in the lockers ready for use. Each of the lockers would have wooden doors (which would be upgraded to steel for World War II) and a rain hood. Two of the lockers would hold the shells and two would hold the cartridges to fire the shell. Each recess would hold up to 30 shells or 24 Cartridges so 60 shells and 48 cartridges. The gun crew would fit the shell to the brass cartridge before loading. The QF gun fired at 15 rounds per minute so each emplacement had only 3 minutes worth of ammunition.

The plan for the three gun emplacements of the Western Battery, There was an Artillery store just behind the right hand No1 gun emplacement.
The baseplate on the gun emplacement shown on the drawings. The 12 Pounder QF gun would have been bolted to this.
The section view of the left hand emplacement showing the four ammunition lockers that served the emplacement
One of the Ammunition Lockers which would have held either shell or cartridge. Originally they would have had wooden doors and a rain hood.
The view looking out from the Western Battery. It covered the approach from the Breakwater and to the back of the Island. Fort Picklecomb which also covered the Breakwater entrance is just out of sight on the first headland. The sharks teeth and low water show just how enemy ships would have been force into a narrow shipping channel. an anti submarine boom was put in place in 1910 restricting movement to surface raiders

The forward QF Magazine made use of the old Tudor Magazine store and was used because it was closer to the QF guns than the underground magazines but also because the underground magazines were still being used by the RML guns that were still on the Island. However by 1901 it had been demolished to make way for the Centre 6 inch Breech Loading Battery and the main ammunition store would be in the underground magazines.

The site of the QF Magazine. It was replaced a few years later by the Central Battery gun emplacement in the Photo. The steps to the left lead to the Upper level of tunnels and forward magazines that were in use for the 12 inch Guns then adapted for use by the new batteries when they were built.
The plan view of how the QF Magazine was laid out with cartridges and shells kept separately

The Range Finders would be specialist Gunners who would provide the range and elevation the Gunner would need to engage the enemy. The Range Finder Station and Gun position would be linked by telephone. Before World War 1 this system would be replaced by a combined Range Finder, Fire Control and Electric Light Director Position. The three commanders would be linked by phone to their respective positions. The searchlights operated by the Royal Engineers were needed to illuminate the enemy so the Range Finder could provide the range and elevation to the Fire Control Officer who would relay it to the guns and give the order to fire.

The Range Finder would use the instruments to determine the range and elevation to give to the gun team.

The shelter would be somewhere for those not in immediate action to wait away from the gun but close enough to reinforce and assist if required.

The old coal store adapted as a shelter for the Western Battery
This aerial view clearly shows the Western Battery and shelter directly behind it. The QF Magazine was where the start of the Central Batter at the top left of the Photos is and the Range Finders Position was just to the right of that overlooking the approach from the Breakwater to the back of the Island.

There were changes to the organisation of the Royal Artillery with the formation of the Royal Garrison Artillery being formed. Part of their responsibility was Coastal Defence with the Island Garrison reinforced the Militia or Territorial Force which was renamed the Royal Garrison Artillery Volunteers. So it was the Royal Garrison Artillery that manned the Island at this time along with elements of the Royal Engineers to look after the Searchlights. These would have been small regular detachments permanently on the Island and beefed up with the Territorial volunteers at times of war or in peacetime for exercises and training. From 1899 there were major exercises involving all the forts protecting the Sound with the Royal Navy providing the enemy in the form of destroyers and torpedo boats with the Territorials deployed as part of their annual camp to train on the guns leading up to the full blown exercise. It was very much a spectator sport with the new searchlights illuminating the Sound form each fort and blank charges being fried at the enemy. The results of the exercise where the umpires where the umpires declared the winner were always reported and eagerly anticipated in the local papers. In this case the winners were declared to be the defenders and these large defence exercise became an annual part of Island life.

Next week the addition of the Central Battery, the removal of the magazine store and alterations made to the underground magazines so they could effectively resupply the new battery.