Thursday 13 September 2012

Heugh Battery

 My trip to North East England last month included a visit to the Heugh Battery.  A coastal defence fort (with a slight look of the old Airfix gun emplacement), this was the battery to first engage German warships during the Great War.  If you are in the area the Battery is definitely worth a look - highly recommended!
One of the Battery's two 6in guns.
The Battery viewed from the shore
I made a point of carefully scanning the horizon - but no enemy ships were in sight.
The yard behind the gun emplacements is filled almost to bursting point with more 'big toys' - including a Ferret and Chieftain.
Rapier launcher.  One of the few not deployed in London during the Olympics....
25 Pounder - more Esci than Airfix given all that detail!
The enormous 3.7in AA gun.  People who drivel on that "it should have been used against tanks like an 88" have clearly never seen one in the flesh.  It really is a big cumbersome beast (even compared to an 88).
Late model 40mm Bofors with extra shielding for the crew.
The 'static' version of the Bofors - clearly not intended for bouncing across fields in support of a division.
Not enough Bofors?  OK, here's another - the shipboard version.
A curiosity I'd never heard of - the Burney 3.7in RCL.
          
Another view of the Burney.
Little and Large again.  One can never tire of looking at Chieftains.
Above and below - on loan from the Firepower museum in London was this splendid WOMBAT.
    

9 comments:

Paul said...

Total dribble fest Tim, that gun emplacement is a dead ringer for the Airfix classic.

Nice to see the items outdoors in good lighting as well.

Tim Gow said...

Paul
Stop dribbling - it'll ruin your keyboard.
All the photos were taken in the open air. Lighting by God. Or whatever.

Paul said...

Lighting by God...That fella seems to have his finger in everything!

Martin Rapier said...

Yes, very nice kit. The gun emplacements look just like the Airfix one!

You don't see many 3.7s. My grandfather served with a regiment of 3.7s in the war. They were assigned to coastal defence in Java after the Japanese declared war, which didn't work out very well.

Tim Gow said...

Martin Rapier
The 'Airfix factor' only really struck me when I looked at the photos. I was particularly pleased to see the 3.7, though i can't imagine it was a great coastal defence weapon.

Stephen Thomas said...

Check the opening times before travelling any distance. They may be seasonal. However when I visited here, it opened 10.00 - 16.00 Thursday to Sunday. Of course I visited on the Wednesday. Doh !!!

The day was not completely wasted. Check out the HMS Trincomalee exhibition, also in Hartlepool. This was the last flush deck frigate ever built for the royal navy. Laid down in 1817. An absolutely fantastic sail and steam museum and great value at only £8. There are two ships and a 19th C. dockyard to explore. It would take all day to see both Heugh battery and HMS Trincomalee.

Tim Gow said...

Stephen Thomas
Ah yes. I looked on the website before deciding which day to visit. The website also produced a useful discounted entry voucher.

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Well done Tim

I have stood outside the gates but never got inside

I always seem to be there outside its opening times and it is relatively slap on my doorstep

I will have to take a peek next time for sure

Tim Gow said...

Geordie
Isn't it always the way when it's on your doorstep? Well worth a visit.