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Heugh Battery


Heugh Battery - click for creditsThe Heugh Gun Battery was built on the Headland in 1860 to protect the fast growing port of Hartlepool. The Battery guns were in action in the First World War, to defend against the Naval Bombardment of Hartlepool on 16 December 1914. During World War 2 new rangefinding and fire control equipment were installed, with conversion to a Coast Defence / Anti Aircraft role in 1942. The Battery was mothballed in 1944, but reopened in 1947. It closed in 1956 and the battery is now houses a museum and artillery collection run by the Heugh Gun Battery Trust.

The Heugh (pronounced "uff") Gun Battery is located on the Headland at Hartlepool, County Durham, England.

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 64pr Rifled Muzzle Loading guns in the 1880s and then fell out of use with the introduction of breech loaders on hydropneumatic mounts in 1893. The lighthouse battery was reconstructed for one of these guns, a 6-inch Mk VI and a further two were placed in Cemetery Battery north of the town.

[[Heugh Battery memorial plaque Geograph 1608078 0295fa65-by-Andrew-Curtis.jpg|left|thumb|Plaque commemorating the events of 16 December 1914. © Copyright Andrew Curtis and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence]]

In 1900 Heugh was completely reworked for two 6-inch Mk VII guns using the standard configuration of two emplacements with underground magazine between. The defences were further modified in 1907 when the Lighthouse gun was replaced with a 6inch Mk VII and the Cemetery Battery closed. Manned by the Territorial Force gunners of the Durham Royal Garrison Artillery, these were the three guns that were to see action in the Bombardment of Hartlepool on 16 December 1914. During the bombardment (at 8.10am), the leading German battle cruiser fired a shell which struck aground less than 100 metres from the battery. This marked the first death in action of a soldier on British soil in World War I. A plaque commemorating the event is found on the coastal walkway just outside the battery.

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.

During the early part of World War II 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 QF 3.7 inch AA guns were introduced. The battery closed in 1956 with the closing of Coast defence. The battery is now in the care of the Heugh Gun Battery Trust and is home to a museum and artillery collection.

Text from Wikipedia, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (accessed: 04/12/2016).
Visit the page: Heugh Battery for references and further details. You can contribute to this article on Wikipedia.
Hartlepool Scheduled Monument Museums, Archives, Galleries and Collections World War 2 Naval Bombardment of Hartlepool, 1914 Defence of Britain: WW1 1860 First World War Defence of Britain Hartlepool Headland Historic Buildings and Monuments in the Borough of Hartlepool Heritage Sites Hartlepool at War
from http://heughbattery.com/
Heugh Battery Museum
- "The Heugh Battery Museum is situated on the Headland in Hartlepool. This area of the North East coast is rich in history and the museum aims to educate its visitors …

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Tablet marking the place the first shell fired from the German battle cruiser struck 8.10 am 16th December 1914 and the place that the first soldier was killed on British soil by enemy action in World War One

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2011-09-25-08-43-26_1000000874

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Heugh Battery Lighthouse

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2011-09-25-09-14-54_1000000911

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2011-09-25-08-49-54_1000000879

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The Heugh Battery

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2011-09-25-09-10-22_1000000905

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2011-09-25-09-02-03_1000000892

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2011-09-25-09-29-33_1000000934

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Entrance to the Heugh Battery, Hartlepool Headland

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The Heugh Battery, Hartlepool Headland

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Inside the Heugh Battery

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from https://historicengland.org.u…
Heugh coastal artillery battery immediately north west of Heugh Lighthouse
- "....A map of 1740 shows the outline of a fortification labelled Southys Point Battery roughly in the area later occupied by Heugh Battery. An 1841 town plan shows that this …

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First World War
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First World War
- The 11th of November 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the singing of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany, bringing an end to the First World War. The 4th …
World War 2
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World War 2
Hartlepool Headland
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Hartlepool Headland
- Overview Map Street View Headland is an area in the North of Hartlepool. There are numerous historic landmarks including the 12th century St Hilda's Church, the Town Walls, Borough Hall, …
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Cannon and poppy-draped observation lookout at Heugh Battery

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Cannon and Poppies at Hartlepool Headland (Heugh Battery)

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Cannon and Poppies at Hartlepool Headland (Heugh Battery)

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Heugh Battery Museum - Hartlepool Headland - April 2023

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List number: 1020801
Grid ref: NZ5317233886
Post code: TS24 0PS

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