Fort Siloso 6 Inch BL Battery - No. 1 Gun
The No. 1 Gun Emplacement photographed in 1993. A 9.2-Inch gun barrel was mounted in each emplacement. These were later moved to their present position near the Gunners Shelter.
In the floor of the centre of the gun pit was a pivot on which the gun mounting was fitted. Electrical cabling for the gun mounting mechanism would also be in the pit. Once installed, a wooden platform for the gun crew to work on would be fitted above the mechanism.
RIGHT: The gun battery in 1952. The now vanished Observation post is clearly visible between the emplacements.
When the British abandoned coastal artillery in 1956, the Mark 24 Guns and equipment were sold as scrap to local dealers. It is a shame that at least one gone was not saved for posterity. There are no genuine wartime and post-war coastal artillery guns on display in Singapore.
A Replica 6-Inch BL Gun. This replica represents one of the two guns which were installed at these emplacements after the Second World War. The replica does not accurately depict the Mark VII Guns originally emplaced or indeed a Mark 24 as installed post war, but gives an idea of what a 6-Inch coastal gun was like. The bench on the left is where the Observation Post once was.
The Mark VII BL Guns originally installed, guns fired a HE or AP projectile, propelled by a separate bagged cordite charge, inserted into the breech after the shell. The guns had a maximum range of 17,000 yards (15,700 metres). Each gun had a supply of 500 rounds of AP ammunition, but only 50 of HE. This lack of HE ammunition would be a telling factor in the battle for Singapore.
No. 1 Gun Emplacement seen from Mount Siloso. The ‘Ready to Use’ Ammunition Lockers are clearly visible in the face of the gun ring. The stairs to the right lead down to the side of the entrance to the Magazine tunnel.
The replica gun is covered by an attap (palm leaf) roof, as the real one would have been. This to provide the gunners with shade and shelter from rain. The smaller attap roof to the left covers the top end of the Ammunition hoist. The figures are standing on the wooden platform around the gun circle.
The Ammunition Hoist, and shells on the hoist tray at the bottom of the shaft, ready to be raised to the gun.