Serapong 6 Inch BL Battery. The No.2 Emplacement

Destroyed gun emplacement
The No.2 Emplacement post-war

The overhead cover had been destroyed by a Japanese bomb on the 18th January 1942. The gun had also been extensively damaged and had been replaced from the Reserve. When the Gun and Magazine were spiked on 14th February 1942, the Magazine detonated completely and caused most of the damage visible in the photo. The explosion left a large crater, the edge of which is seen in the right hand side of the photo. The area of the emplacement with the Ammunition Hoist was completely vanished in the explosion. All that remains is scattered lumps of concrete.

Shells ready for use on the emplacement were scattered in the explosion, and one is circled. One at least fell into the gun well. This must have been covered with earth from the explosion, and was not found until 27th May 2006. Other shells have been found in the past, and more may remain.

All photos below were taken during the 2006 archaeological survey, headed up by Lim Chen Sian of ISEAS, National University of Singapore.

Group photoPeter Stubbs
Happy people with their find
Aaron Kao, Peter Stubbs & Lim Chen Sian