braefoot gun battery in fife?

hi after some advice while walking my dog at braefoot in fife came across a ww1/ww2 gunbattery complete with pillboxes barracks gun implacement magazine and even the rails used to take the amunition to the guns the site is remarkably well preserved

was wondering how would i go about trying to find out the history of this site ? how it operatted the men who manned it and any pictures of it in operation i know it was built in ww1 abandoned then reused in ww2 and was modified to use different guns

anyhelp would be gr8 i cant stop thinking about this site and would really like to know more about it

 

Hi and welcome to the forums! I can help a bit.
The battery was one of a series of concentric defences designed to protect the Forth, starting at Fidra and working west to Rosyth. They were built on both sides of the Forth, and the corresponding ones for Braefoot were Inchmickery and Hound Point at South Queensferry.
The battery was started in 1914 and completed in early 1915. It was originally designed to be surrounded by trenches, but if you study the ground between the hilltop blockhouse and the eastern-most pillbox, you'll clearly see the remains of stone blocks used to mount iron railings. Behind the pillbox is the remains of a path which once led down to the beach.
The battery was built for 9.2 inch guns originally, but these were removed around 1917. It's not really known why, but a shortage of heavy artillery on the Western Front is usually cited.
The pillboxes might be WW1; they were built with porous bricks, and this was not previously thought to have been used before WW2. At the west end of the battery there is a partially-hidden pillbox which was actually built overhanging the cliff.
When you come in the main path from the gas terminal end you pass the guard house and Commandant's quarters. If you look down to the right as you pass the magazine, the buildings with their rears to you are stores. The ones opposite are the defended barracks and cookhouse. These barracks were built so that the windows could be closed by steel shutters in an emergency, but the defenders could still return fire.
The little building on the way back up the hill was the telegraph office, and at the western end of the site is the ww1 supply jetty. This is defended by a WW1 blockhouse, and the mountings for steel shutters can still be seen around the windows.
These batteries were usually manned by TA units, and I think this one may have been the 506th Heavy Reg RA, but I'll check. The site was extensively planted by the Forestry Commission post ww2.
There was a decoy anti-aircraft battery in the field behind Braefoot in WW2, and a genuine one at Steeple Clump in Dalgety Bay. Charles Hill battery is WW2 and mounted twin 6 pounder quick-firing guns. An anti-submarine boom stretched from here across to Inchmickery in WW2, and from there to Cramond Island. The remains of part of it can still be seen on the beach at low tide, at the terminal end.
There is another WW1 battery at Bathing House Wood; if you climb to the top of the ridge that goes down to Downing Point, you'll walk straight through the middle of it. The houses to the rear of this were built on a ww2 barrage balloon mooring site, which was itself built on the WW1 battery's acommodation.

 

Welcome pathfinder!

I would love to see some pics of that site! If you get the opportunity!

 

BG,
Here are some snaps of Braefoot from my own site-
Historian/Coast Artillery sites - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

 

thanks gordon for these great pics some great looking bunkers and still good con
best krieg

 

historian u know your stuff thanks verey mutch for all the info this is the first time i have seen the site and going to check out the others i enjoy it and so does the dog i just cant belive scotland has little sights like this still standing its gr8

once again thanks

 

Pathfinder,
Glad I could help. I'm in Stirling btw.
The only additional info I could find were that Downing Point battery was initially fitted with 4.7 inch guns pre-ww1, and these were replaced by 2x2pounders in 1917 just before the battery was decommissioned.
The ArchSearch: Collection description: Defence of Britain database lists all surviving 20th century military structures in Britain, and you should find a fair bit of stuff in your area.
Similarly, if you fancy looking further out the RCAHMS : Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland site lists the National Monuments Record for Scotland online; click on the CANMORE section once you're in the site.
Krieg,
My pleasure. Unfortunately you can't really get a sense of the scale of the gunpits from the photos, the parapet must be at least ten feet high. There was an identical battery along the coast at Pettycur Bay, decommissioned in the '50s. Someone built a house INSIDE one of the gunpits!

 

Hello Pathfinder! just wondering if you've been doing any research since your last post o-buddy o-pal Ive been a busy little beaver if you care to take a look! lol

 

Nice thread I enjoyed reading Gordons info. I enjoyed seeing the pictures too.

 

Hi all

I planned a biking trip into the woods of the braefoot battery, and decided to do a little research into it and came upon your forum. excellent info and seeing the battery was fascinating. I came across a carving in the wall of one of the buildings and wondered if anyone can shed some light onto it.
Pic attached.

 

Hi Hobbit,
Welcome to the forums.
That's interesting; the "1915" looks genuine enough, but the two sets of initials look later. They could have been added in WW2 though, since the cement looks to have been repaired at some point.
What building did you find that on, out of interest?