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| Durham Dinner 2023 South Shields Town Hall |
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| Durham Dinner 2023 Paddy Bill IJ |
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| Durham Dinner 2023 IJ Wilf |
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| Durham Dinner 2023 IJ |
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| MLRS 205 (3 DVA) Battery RA |
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| Princess Seaways enters Tyne VM |
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| Princess Seaways VM |
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| Hugh Dennis IJ |
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| Hugh Dennis and his team archaeologists Trow Point Richard Hugh Chloe Natasha |
To assist Hugh and his team of archaeologists was my good self providing local knowledge and Regimental history expertise.
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| IJ Trow Point Great British Dig |
To understand the military aspects of their findings, the team enlisted the help of 101 Regiment Royal Artillery, South Shields based 205 Battery and Veterans from the Royal Artillery Association.
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| Hugh Dennis IJ CO 101 RA BC 205 Battery |
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| 3 DVA Association RAA with archaeologist Don |
On top of Trow Point is the replica of a disappearing gun, the original of which was installed in 1877. The War Office used the location to conduct trials for a disappearing gun manufactured by Clarke-Maxim gun. The mechanism proved unsuccessful and the gun removed in 1894, leaving the concrete emplacement. A replica gun was mounted in the 1990s
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| Trow Point Disappearing Gun |
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| Trow Point 1890s Magazine PSI House Cannons |
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| 3 DVA gun practice Trow Point c1890 |
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| Gun platform Trow Point |
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| RA veterans identifying gun platform |
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| 64 pounder Rifle Muzzle Loader |
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| Trow Point house excavation |
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| Potential trench system excavation |
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| Potential trench system excavation |
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| Dig HQ Hugh Dennis and Richard |
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| Dig HQ Jim IJ Andy |
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| IJ on the TV - Sherlock views with interest |
Great British Dig discovering the Military History of Trow Point with the help of @101RegimentRA , @CO101RA and @NorthumbrianG #royalartillery #armyreserve https://t.co/C9WeLEl56G
— Northumbrian Gunner (@NorthumbrianG) March 9, 2021
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| Disappearing Gun Trow Rocks headland |
The concept of a disappearing gun was formulated by Captain CS Moncrief of the Edinburgh Militia Artillery. During the Crimean War (1854—56) he had observed the vulnerability of British Gunners during counter bombardment as they loaded their muzzle loading guns.
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| Gun Emplacements Crimean War |
Moncrief came up with idea of guns mounted in hidden emplacements which would only be exposed at their moment of firing. His idea was accepted by a Royal Commission in 1859, however initial designs were rejected. The carriage system was finally accepted in 1867, and would be deployed in scale form 1871.
The Moncrieff mounting was mechanical. The gun would be elevated into the firing position by the detachment, the recoil would return the into it’s hidden loading position.
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| Moncrieff Gun Mounting |
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| Moncrieff Gun Mounting |
To improve the operability of the disappearing guns the idea of using pneumatics or hydraulics to move a gun platform was formulated. To assess potential solutions trials were held compare designs.
One of the potential designs was put forward by the Clarke-Maxim Company, known for the Maxim machine gun. The 3rd Durham Volunteer Artillery had leased land on Trow Rocks from the Tyne Commissioners and in 1885 were asked to lease the land to the War Office in order for Maxim to conduct trials for a disappearing gun.
Construction at Clarke-Maxim’s own expense commenced in October 1886.
A cylindrical concrete emplacement 6.4 metres (21 feet) in diameter excavated to a depth of 4.3 metres (14 feet) formed the infrastructure. A steel platform floating on water was raised and lowered by air pressure using pumps. A 6 inch B.L. Mk IV gun was mounted on the platform.
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| Clarke-Maxim disappearing platform at Trow Rocks |
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| Replica Clarke-Maxim disappearing gun platform |
Trials of the Clarke-Maxim disappearing gun platform were conducted on the 15th / 16th December 1887. The mechanism proved unsuccessful. The time taken for the platform to move back into a firing position was 8 hours.
Trials at Shoeburyness on a hydro-pneumatic solution put forward William Armstrong’s Elswick factory would become the adopted gun mounting.
The Clarke-Maxim gun was removed in 1894, the interior cylinder filled with earth, leaving the concrete emplacement.
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| Trow Rocks Gun Emplacement Source: South Tyneside Historical Archives |
A replica platform and gun was mounted by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in the 1990’s.
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| Replica gun being hoisted into position Source: South Tyneside Historical Archives |
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Replica gun being hoisted into position
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Replica gun in position
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Replica gun and platfrom complete
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Restoration and maintenance of the gun was undertaken by 205 (3rd Durham Volunteer Artillery) Battery Royal Artilley in 2015. The latter day 3 DVA Gunners working next to the original practice battery of the Volunteer Artillery.
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| 205 (3 DVA) Battery RA restoration 2015 |
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| Frenchmans Point Source: South Tyneside Council |
Frenchmans Bay lies on the coast 2,700 metres east of the mouth of the River Tyne in South Shields. It was the location of a coastal artillery battery which was operational in the First and Second World Wars.
As the 19th century approached it’s last decade the guns in the coastal batteries in Tynemouth were becoming obsolete. In 1845 construction of the Tyne Piers commenced and they took 50 years to build. When work was completed in 1895, they rendered the guns at Cliffords Fort North Shields , the mainstay of defence of the Tyne, obsolete.
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| River Tyne 1895 |
The obsolescence of the defences on the Tyne necessitated the building of more modern batteries and work commenced in 1899 at Tynemouth and South Shields.
Two batteries for 2 x 6inch and 1 x 9.2 inch naval guns were completed in 1903. Tynemouth Castle Battery on the north side, and Frenchman’s Point on the southside on the coast at South Shields. The Tynemouth Spanish Battery augmented the defences with 2 x 6 inch and 2 x 12 pounder quick firing naval guns. Cliffords Fort became a Submarine Mine Depot and a headquarters for the Tyne Electircal Engineers (TEE) who manned searchlights.
The 3rd Durham Volunteer Artillery, re-designated 3rd Durham Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers) in 1899, were the local volunteers who trained on the guns at the Frenchmans Point battery.
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| Frenchmans Point Battery 9.2 in gun BC 3rd Durham RGA |
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| Frenchmans Point Battery BC 3rd Durham RGA |
Frenchmans Point Battery was visited by Lord Roberts, Commander in Chief of the Forces, in June 1903 when he toured the boroughs of Tynemouth and South Shields.
Shields Gazette 25th June 1903
Source: http://www.thessvlbhistory.co.uk/History/1903events.htm
Crowds of people were assembled all along the route, but there was very little cheering. On arrival at the fort the Commander-in- Chief was met by Colonel Penin, commanding the Militia and Volunteer Artillery of the N.E. District, and Col. Dawson, commanding 3rd D.V.A., who are encamped near the fort. The guns were manned by the men of the 3rd D.V.A., under Capt. Bell, with Captain Armstrong and Lieut. Chapman as gun group commanders. His lordship made an inspection of the guns and witnessed some interesting practice from the 1-inch aiming tube. He also visited the volunteer camp and partook of refreshments in the officers' mess, where he met the officers of the corps. Here he took a cordial leave of them, and entering his carriage again was driven away, the Mayor and Mayoress accompanying him to the South Shields station.
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| Frenchmans Point Battery 1903 |
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| 1st East Riding RGA Camp Frenchmans Bay 1905 |
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| Tyne Defences 1914 |
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| HMS Patrol 9th Destroyer Flotilla |
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| Watching the Tyne 1914 Source: Rickard, J (23 June 2014), Watching the mouth of the Tyne, 1914 http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/pictures_watching_tyne_1914.html |
An account of the operation of the Frenchman points Battery was recorded by 2nd Lieut. Leslie Tilley who was posted to the Tynemouth RGA in December 1914.
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| 9.2 inch gun Frenchmans Point Battery |
“I was posted to the Frenchman’s Point Battery, at Trow Point in South Shields. This had two six-inch guns covering Tynemouth and a 9.2-inch gun at the southern end of the position.
“We also knew the plan for a navigational ‘box’, set up a mile and a half offshore. This had been worked out before the war. All vessels wishing to enter the Tyne were to anchor there to be boarded by the crew of an examination steamer. All this took place under the gaze of the 6 inch guns at Spaniard’s Point under Tynemouth Castle. In the event of a ship behaving suspiciously, a single warning shot was allowed. If this was ignored, all guns in range would let fly".
"In those early days we were subjected to almost daily battery drills, including the use of searchlights and floodlights, test firings and security exercises, until we could have carried them out as we slept."
The naval threat to the British coastline from the Germany materialised in December 1914, though not on the Tyne. Four battle cruisers and two flotillas of destroyers bombarded the coastal towns of Scarborough, Whitby and Hartlepool.
With the conclusion of the First World War and the defeat of Germany, the threat to the UK coastline diminished. The German High Fleet had been scuttled at Scapa Flow in June 1919 and no other power was capable of challenging the Royal Navy in Europe.
In 1922 cracks started to appear in the Frenchmans Point gun emplacements as a result of mining subsidence. The cost of repairs was considerable, and with no real threat, the guns were dismounted and the land sold off.
Following the German invasion of Poland, in September 1939, Britain declared war on Nazi Germany. The Armed Forces mobilised and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) deployed to the European Continent. Following the evacuation of the BEF from at Dunkirk May / June 1940, Britain prepared to defend the country against invasion. A Home Defence Executive was formed, and General Alanbrooke appointed Commander in Chief Home Forces.
As part of the anti-invasion measures, 153 Emergency Coatal Batteries were constructed along the coastline. The old emplacements at Frenchmans Point were brought back into use and two 6 inch naval guns installed. Another battery was built on The Lawe, above the mouth of the Tyne, with two 6 inch naval guns manned by Royal Marines.
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| Tyne Defences 1940 |
In March 1941, the six inch guns from Frenchmans Point replaced the guns at the Lawe Park Battery and the Tynemouth Territorials took over from the Royal Marines. Three 4.7inch guns were installed in new emplacements constructed at Frenchmans Point.
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| Frenchmans Point Battery Source: Victorian Forts |
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| Frenchmans Point Battery 1947 |
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| Frenchmans point Battery reamains |
Hugh Dennis IJ On 10th March 2021, the TV programme the Great British Dig featured Trow Point , ...
