Fort George (Guernsey)
Fort George is situated in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, and is a former garrison for the British Army.
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Planned during the Anglo-French War (1778–83), construction started in 1780, and was completed in 1812. It was built to accommodate the increase in the number of troops stationed in the island to deter the anticipated French invasion, such as the one that which occurred in Jersey which resulted in the Battle of Jersey in January 1781.
History
The area occupied by the fort was used by the military before the construction of the current fort. In 1775 an epidemic amongst highland soldiers stationed at the fort decimated the unit and the disease spread to neighbouring civilians.[1]
The design was that of a Star fort with a bastioned trace. A detached redoubt, Fort Irwin was linked to the fort. To seaward the Clarence Battery was constructed.[2]:5
Families of the soldiers stationed in the fort normally lodged in St Peter Port.
On 27 March 1783 there was a mutiny in Guernsey by 500 regular soldiers, mainly Irish soldiers in the recently created 104th Regiment, who were in winter quarters in Fort George, caused possibly by some discharged men from the recently disbanded 83rd Regiment who had just been sent to join the 104th on the island. The soldiers demanded that the fort gates be left open so they could come and go as they pleased, however whilst this was agreed, the soldiers inside the fort a few days later fired at their officers, forcing them to withdraw from the fort.[3] Both the 18th Regiment (the Royal Irish) and the Guernsey Militia turned out with 6 pieces of artillery. Volleys of shots were fired by the rebels, but when the militia outflanking the rebels, they surrendered. The Government of Guernsey gave a public thanks to the 18th Regiment and militiamen, awarding them 100 guineas.[4] Two men were wounded, 36 ringleaders arrested and the 104th Regiment was disbanded.
During the Second World War the fort was occupied by German forces who constructed a number of emplacements and a German Luftwaffe radar early warning station.
Attempts by Allied aircraft to destroy the radar station before the Normandy landings in June 1944 were ineffective with allied aircraft shot down on 2 and 5 June.
The States of Guernsey bought the land from the British Crown in 1958. In 1967, the land was sold to a developer, Fort George Developments, with the aim of building 120 luxury houses amongst the stronger of the military buildings, the main barrack buildings being demolished. Objections to the planned building work were rejected despite 21% of the population signing a petition against the works.[5]
Main gate
The main entrance is through an imposing gateway that still houses the original wooden gates. Behind the gate would have been a moat and drawbridge which would have provided a second line of defence.[6]
Clarence battery
Originally called Terres Point Battery, it was renamed in 1815 in honour of the third son, Prince William, Duke of Clarence of King George III. Ten gun mountings allowed the battery to fire in two directions, a magazine and Guard Room were also built. The original guns were later upgraded to 5-inch guns and during the occupation a 3.7cm flak gun was installed.[7]
Cemetery
A military cemetery was created and housing graves of British soldiers and sailors from the 19th and 20th-centuries. It is now the final resting places of 111 German soldiers and sailors.[8] The cemetery is War Department property and contains war graves of both world wars. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists all 136 military graves in the cemetery, irrespective of nationality.
A register of Baptisms and Burials was maintained by the Garrison Chaplain at Fort George between 1794 and 1810 and is held in the island archives.
See also
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Johnston, Peter, The Building of Fort George Citadel 1779-1782 - Part 1, Review of the Guernsey Society, Autumn 2000
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- ↑ Gregory Stevens-Cox: St Peter Port, 1680-1830: The History of an International Entrepôt. Boydell Press, 1999.
- ↑ Charles Stephenson: The Channel Islands 1941-45 Hitler's impregnable fortress. Osprey, 206.
- ↑ Raoul Lempriére: History of the Channel Islands. Robert Hale Ltd, S. 132.
- ↑ Jonathan Duncan: The History of Guernsey with Occasional Notices of Jersey, Alderney and Sark ... Longman 1841.
- ↑ The Fort George overture. Guernsey Press, 6. September 2012.
- ↑ Two hundred years of protection at Guernsey fort. BBC, 11. Juni 2010.
- ↑ Clarence Battery. Guernsey Museums
- ↑ War and peace on Guernsey. The Telegraph, 29. Juli 2014.