Wasswick Battery
Coastal Battery (Second World War)
Site Name Wasswick Battery
Classification Coastal Battery (Second World War)
Alternative Name(s) Queenamuckle
Canmore ID 81750
Site Number HY42SW 20
NGR HY 41971 21602
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/81750
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Evie And Rendall
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Orkney
- Former County Orkney
HY42SW 20.00 41971 21602
HY42SW 20.01 HY 41962 21620 and HY 41986 21597 Observation post; Gun-
emplacements; Magazine; Building
HY42SW 20.02 HY 41886 21545 Military Camp
HY42SW 20.03 HY 42297 21613, HY 42273 21645 and HY 42248 21661 Searchlight battery
HY42SW 20.04 HY 42144 21733 and HY 42145 21733 Engine houses
HY42SW 20.05 HY 41792 21515 and c.HY 4178 2152 Pillbox (possible); Building
Two gun emplacements an observation post, magazines, engine room and searchlights.
J Guy 1993; NMRS MS 810/2; WO/192 1267.
A World War II coast battery is situated in a field between the coast at Eynehallow Sound and the Gorseness Road 90m E of Queenamuckle farmhouse.
Consisting of two concrete gun-emplacements, observation post, magazine, searchlight platforms and engine rooms at the coast and the remains of the accommodation camp. Traces of other elements could be seen at the junction between Gorseness Road and the track leading to the farmsteading and gun site.
The battery is recorded in the official gun record book held in the Public Record Office (PRO) under WO 192/267, in which there is a layout plan of the site (map no.7). The plan shows that the battery included a searchlight battery of three platforms and two engine houses situated on the coast, two gun-emplacements annotated Nos. 1 and 2 guns, a military camp which included accommodation, garage, mess and training huts. In addition a workshop and possible pillbox are shown at the junction of the Gorseness Road.
The PRO documents show that the battery was armed in 1940 with one 12-pounder gun from Links Battery (HY20NE 77), which was increased to two in 1943 (PRO WO 199/2627, WO 199/527), in an artillery/anti-motor torpedo boat role. The site was designated in 1941 as 151 Battery and manned by 535 Regiment (WO 199/2627). The battery was placed on a care and maintenance basis in 1945.
The battery is visible on RAF vertical air photographs (LEU/UK 2, 7061-7062, flown 16 April 1948), which show that at this date the site was already abandoned. Most of the huts have been removed and only concrete hut bases can be seen.
The site was not visited during the RCAHMS survey.
Information from RCAHMS (DE), December 2004
