South Ronaldsay, Cara Battery
Coastal Battery (Second World War)
Site Name South Ronaldsay, Cara Battery
Classification Coastal Battery (Second World War)
Alternative Name(s) Caraville; Quoybanks; Quonathues; Bendigo; Hall Of Cara
Canmore ID 81654
Site Number ND49SE 28
NGR ND 48009 94651
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/81654
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish South Ronaldsay
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
ND49SE 28.00 48009 94651
ND49SE 28.01 ND 47996 94670 Observation post
ND49SE 28.02 ND 48003 94657 and ND 48019 94645 Gun-emplacements
ND49SE 28.03 ND 48029 94734 and ND 47950 94768 Searchlight Battery
ND49SE 28.04 ND 48010 94651 Magazine
ND49SE 28.05 ND 47989 94700 Engine house
ND49SE 28.06 ND 48051 94609 Military Camp
This battery consists of two gun emplacements an observation post, search lights and magazine. It was placed on a care and maintainance basis in 1943.
J Guy 1993; NMRS MS 810/2.
Cara Coast Battery is situated amongst the dwellings annotated on the Ordnance Survey maps as Hall of Cara, Bendigo, Caraville, Qoybanks and Quonathues at Ayre of Cara, 460 SE of Churchill Barrier No.4.
Surviving buildings consist of a single storey observation post, two shuttered concrete gun-emplacements, magazine, two searclight emplacements and concrete hut bases about 80m from the High Water Mark.
The battery is unusual in that the observation post is not placed centrally between the two gun-emplacements, but about 15m to the NW of No.1 gun position (ND 48003 94657). The battery is also notable for the fact that the sides of an iron water tank have been used for the concrete shuttering process in building the observation post and the gun-emplacements, the imprint of the 'star' pattern being very obviously visible on the side panels.
Cara Battery was armed with a single 12-pounder gun in 1940, later increased to two 12-pounders in 1941 (PRO WO 199/2627). In 1941 it was designated 140 Battery by the War Office and manning was by 533 regiment (WO 199/2627).
Vertical air photographs taken in 1946 (106G/Scot/UK 137, 3008-3009, flown 3 July 1946), would suggest there may have been three searchlight emplacements, that visible on the photographs at c. ND 4821 9459 could not be seen on the date of visit.
Visited by RCAHMS (DE, GS), May 1997.
Field Visit (August 1997)
Cara battery guarded Water Sound prior to the construction of Churchill Barrier 4. It was equipped with two twelve-pounder guns. The battery became redundant in 1944 with the completion of the barrier.
(i) The remains of this battery are located, for the most part 50 to 100m or more inland. The remains which are situated within 50m of the coast edge comprise very overgrown footings and small concrete buildings which are currently in use as sheds. Two searchlight emplacements associated with this battery (described below) survive on the coast edge.
(ii) A concrete searchlight emplacement lies on the coast edge and has been partly eroded by the sea. It measures 6m long by 3.5m wide. It has a door to the S side and an entirely open front. Raised patterning on the ceiling indicates that it was cast with metal shuttering, the panels probably came from a water tank. The concrete plinth on which the structure is built, has been undermined by the sea and is fragmented. A low gabion wall has been built in front of the coastal section in an attempt to slow down the pace of erosion.
(iii)A concrete searchlight emplacement is located less than 1m from the coast edge. It measures 3.5m by 6m, and appears to be intact. It is currently in use as a garden shed; the front opening has been blocked up and a window has been put in.
Moore and Wilson, 1997
Coastal Zone Assessment Survey
