Ladder Hill Battery Jamestown

Ladder Hill Battery consists of 2 6 inch breech loading guns f from the early 1900's which were manned by members of the St Helena Coast Battery, Royal Artillery. The first battery was constructed by Governor Blake in 1790 and extended in 1797 and was prominent in the defence of the island during Napoleon's imprisonment.
During WW2, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee passed close to St Helena and the Coastal battery wanted to engage it, but the Governor refused permission as he feared the more powerful and modern German guns.
In another incident the battery engaged what it thought was a German U-boat on the surface which turned out to be a dead whale.

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Source

• Text: Sharky Ward
• Photos: Anthony (Sharky) Ward
• www.sainthelenaisland.info