Heugh Battery
The Heugh (pronounced: /jʊf/[1]) Gun Battery is located on the Headland at Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The museum bills itself as the only battlefield of World War I in Great Britain.[2]
History
Heugh Battery was one of three erected in 1860 to protect the fast-growing port of Hartlepool. Heugh and Lighthouse Battery were placed close by the lighthouse and armed with four and two 68pr smoothbore guns respectively. The third battery, Fairy Cove mounted three of the same weapons and was slightly further to the north at the end of the town moor.
The original battery was modified for three
In 1900 Heugh was completely reworked for two
In 1936 the No 1 gun was removed and the Lighthouse Battery integrated into Heugh Battery so that the Lighthouse gun became Heugh No 1. A Barr and Stroud rangefinder was also introduced.
In 1939 the Territorial Army was mobilised and the battery was manned by men of the Durham Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery.[4] During the early part of the Second World War new rangefinding and fire control equipment was introduced, paving the way to conversion to the Coast Defence / Anti Aircraft role in 1942. The Lighthouse and remaining Heugh emplacement were reworked for turret mounted 6inch Mk 24 guns and an emplacement for a third (No 3) was built a hundred yards to the north though it seems unlikely that a gun was ever mounted here.
Heugh Battery was mothballed in 1944 to be reopened in 1947 and shortly after
In the 2020s the battery was found to be need in of restoration with Historic England donating £40,000 to play for a comprehensive survey of the structure.[5]
See also
- 54°41′50″N 1°10′36″W / 54.697121°N 1.176655°W map coordinates
Notes
- ^ "Huffing and puffing over the Heugh". 19 December 2014.
- ^ "Welcome to the Heugh Battery Museum". Heugh Battery Museum. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Litchfield, Appendix 1.
- ^ Col K W Maurice-Jones, 1959. The History of Coast Artillery in the British Army, Royal Artillery Institution, London, p220
- ^ "Hartlepool's Heugh Battery awarded £40k towards restoration". BBCNews. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
External links
- Heugh Gun Battery Trust Heugh Gun Battery
- Heugh Gun Battery Heugh Gun Battery
References
- Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0.