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View Full Version : Archived: Charles Hill Battery, Dalgety Bay. 10/9/11



Mantash
14-09-2011, 11:59 AM
Went out as a 'virgin' on Saturday and came back with mud on my boots and pics in my camera...

I started the day at a local quarry and then moved up the coast a few miles to this place (tried to post a google map image of the area but couldn't manage it, so here's the Defence of Britain write up instead)

COAST ARTILLERY BATTERY: S0003057

The Defence of Britain

Location: Charles Hill Battery, to the E of the Braefoot Gas Terminal, Dalgety Bay.

Condition: Good

Description: 1992/08/__ Battery site includes twin 6pdr emplacements, command post, observation posts, generator buildings, coast artillery search light emplacements and ranging positions. 1992/12/05 Coast Battery consisting of: 1 x twin 6pdr gun emplacement. 3 x fixed beam searchlight emplacements. 1 x Lyon light emplacement. 1 x engine room. 1 x U.P. mounting (Monks Cave used as magazine). 1 x Spigot Mortar [see UORN 11820]. ____/__/__ Converted from militia camp to gun and searchlight site, 1940. N H Clark 1986. This concrete battery is situated to the E of the Braefoot Gas Terminal (NT18SE 23), consists of one twin 6-pounder gun emplacement, three fixed beam searchlight and Lyon light emplacements and an engine room. In addition there is one UP mounting which has used Monk's Cave (NT18SE 1) as a magazine and one spigot mortar emplacement. The gun emplacement has now collapsed and the observation post has been demolished. This site was an army camp before conversion to a battery. J Guy

I had see this place on google maps (don'tcha love 'em?) and it looked like there was an easy road up to the place...

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6133096333_7e238db104_z.jpg
That'll be the easy road then...

Access was a case of parking in the Gas Terminal car park, climbing over a gate and walking through a golf course but all in all a clear and easy path to follow.

Once there I was presented with a view of this place tucked away in a slight hollow behind the 'headland'
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6181/6133642232_6e64352417_z.jpg

The view you can see, between the two earth mounds, is Leith Docks at Edinburgh. Which means that my view was approximately south, west (my right) is upstream into the Firth of Forth and the Navy docks at Rosyth and east (my left) is out to the North Sea.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6133098121_6142bff153_z.jpg

I wasn't sure what to make of this place and assume it was some kind of command post? It certainly had good views and seemed well hidden.

Views up the Forth

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6133643928_639468d8a9_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6133102585_f671a6958c_z.jpg

and inside

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6065/6133645562_4fd209355f_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6133649662_a2a778c495_b.jpg
floor mounting bolts

The rest of these are the main battery and its various associated buildings

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6133110105_8e37237281_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6189/6133112769_5a7c61d9e6_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6186/6133113703_d25080a7e2_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6133114619_a64921a2dc_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6133662098_1445dea4e8_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6196/6133664110_c1a529ece3_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6200/6133120575_146e839745_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6133122541_aeeddc98ac_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6195/6133123519_de0802c24d_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6133124357_9312440fa0_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6162/6133671632_36dfd82591_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6068/6133675656_56ba9251cd_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6133678346_57c71ab23d_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6133135897_ab27ed31ac_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6133139807_c82af21676_z.jpg

hope you enjoyed the pics...