Leighton Battery

{{Short description|Heritage listed military installation in Mosman Park, Western Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Use Australian English|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox military installation | name = Leighton Battery | ensign = | ensign_size = | native_name = | partof =  | location = [[Buckland Hill Reservoir|Buckland Hill]], [[Mosman Park, Western Australia|Mosman Park]], [[Western Australia]] | nearest_town =  | country = [[Australia]] | image = File:6 inch Mk VII gun Leighton Battery Fremantle 1943 AWM 029136.jpeg | alt = | caption = Construction of No. 2 gun position, Leighton Battery, February 1943 | image2 = | alt2 = | caption2 = Location of Leighton Battery | type = | coordinates = {{coord|32|01|04|S|115|45|24|E|type:landmark_region:AU|name=Leighton Battery|display=inline,title}} | gridref = | image_map = | image_mapsize = | image_map_alt = | image_map_caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_image = | pushpin_label = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_mark = | pushpin_marksize = | ownership = [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]] | operator = [[Australian Army]] | controlledby =  | open_to_public = Above-ground installation freely accessible{{-}}Underground installation open on the first Sunday of every month | site_other_label =  | site_other =  | site_area =  | code =  | built = {{Start date|1941}} | used = {{Start date|1941}}−{{End date|1963}} | builder = 7th Troop of the [[Royal Australian Engineers]]{{-}}[[Royal Australian Artillery]]{{-}}[[Public Works Department (Western Australia)|Public Works Department of Western Australia]] | materials = | height =  | length =  | fate =  | condition = Now the Leighton Battery Heritage Site operated by the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society of Western Australia | battles = | events = Part of the Fremantle Fortress during World War II | current_commander =  | past_commanders =  | garrison =  | occupants =  | designations = | website = | footnotes =  {{Infobox designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = State Register of Heritage Places | designation1_offname = Leighton Battery | designation1_type = | designation1_criteria = | designation1_date = 27 August 1999 | delisted1_date = | designation1_partof = | designation1_number = {{SRHP|3247}} }} }} '''Leighton Battery''' at [[Buckland Hill Reservoir|Buckland Hill]], [[Mosman Park, Western Australia|Mosman Park]], [[Western Australia]], was part of the [[Coastal defences of Australia during World War II]] and the [[Fremantle Fortress]], protecting [[Fremantle Harbour]].

The battery initially consisted of two [[BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun|6-inch Mk VII naval guns]], operational from February 1943. The two guns were removed in 1945 and replaced by three [[QF 5.25-inch naval gun|5.25 inch dual purpose coastal artillery/antiaircraft guns]]. While it was envisioned to have all major ports in Australia protected by these type guns, the Leighton Battery became the only one ever operational. The battery was dismantled and the equipment disposed of for scrap in 1963.

The battery site was added to the Western Australian [[State Register of Heritage Places]] in August 1999 and was awarded an Engineering Heritage National Marker in November 2014. While some above-ground installations have been restored, the underground installations consisting of underground tunnels, rooms, observation post and semi-buried command post are considered an outstanding example of technical achievement.

==Fremantle Fortress prior to World War II== [[File:Rottnest Island Cannon.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[BL 9.2-inch Mk IX – X naval gun|9.2-inch naval gun]], Oliver Hill battery, Rottnest Island]] During the mid-1930s, the Australian Government upgraded its coastal defence batteries protecting the major ports of the country from enemy attack. In Western Australia, protection of the [[Fremantle Harbour|Fremantle Port]] was a priority. This was to be achieved by upgrading existing batteries and constructing new ones. At Leighton, [[Swanbourne, Western Australia|Swanbourne]], [[North Mole Lighthouse|North Mole]], Fremantle Harbour, South Beach and [[Cape Peron|Point Peron]], the batteries were upgraded. Additionally, new batteries were to be installed on [[Garden Island (Western Australia)|Garden Island]] and [[Rottnest Island]].<ref name="Ceremony" >{{cite web |url=https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2017-01/leighton_battery_-_commemoration_ceremony_0.pdf|title=Fremantle Fortress - Leighton Battery WW2 Coastal Defence Facilities for an Engineering Heritage National Marker Commemoration Ceremony|author= |date=29 November 2014 |website=portal.engineersaustralia.org.au|publisher=[[Engineers Australia]] |access-date=25 April 2020 }}</ref><ref name="West" >{{cite news |last=Acott |first=Kent |date=11 November 2019 |title=Fortress named a heritage icon|url=https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/fortress-named-a-heritage-icon-ng-ya-192094|work=[[The West Australian]]|access-date=25 April 2020 }}</ref><ref name="Assessment" >{{cite web |url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Admin/api/file/d5b684bf-49b2-d04f-b5fc-c3ad149b6f7b|title=Register of Heritage Places Assessment Documentation: Leighton Battery|author= |website=inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au|publisher=[[State Register of Heritage Places]] |access-date=25 April 2020 }}</ref>

These combined coastal defences were referred to as the Fremantle Fortress. Originally, the defence of the port was to be achieved through the placement of [[BL 9.2-inch Mk IX – X naval gun|9.2-inch naval guns]] at Buckland Hill but this was deemed insufficient to protect the port from long-range bombardment by cruisers equipped with 8-inch guns. Instead, the 9.2-inch guns were placed on Rottnest Island as part of the Oliver Hill battery, which allowed engagement of enemy ships before they reached a range where they could fire at Fremantle Port,<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" /> having a range of {{cvt|28|km}}.<ref name="Pride" /> The defence of Fremantle Port was deemed essential to national Australian security during a potential future war.<ref name="West" />

Additional batteries, equipped with [[BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun|6-inch Mk VII naval guns]] and [[BL 6-inch Mk XI naval gun|6-inch Mk XI naval guns]], were installed at Rottnest Island (the Bickley Battery), [[Arthur Head]] and Fort Forrest, in [[North Fremantle, Western Australia|North Fremantle]]. The Fort Forrest guns were moved to Swanbourne in 1935, with Buckland Hill not selected at this point because of its proximity to vital other installations. At the start of World War II, both of the batteries at Rottnest Island and the Arthur Head and Swanbourne ones were operational.<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" />

==Battery== [[File:QF 3.7-inch AA gun at Leighton Battery, April 2020.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[QF 3.7-inch AA gun|3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun]] at Leighton Battery]] In 1941, Buckland Hill was selected as the site for four [[QF 3.7-inch AA gun|3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns]], which were operational later that year.<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" />

In early 1942, the situation of the Arthur Head battery was reviewed as the guns would have to fire over ships anchored at [[Gage Roads]], with shipping having greatly increased since the start of the war. In mid-1942, the decision was made to relocate the Arthur Head battery to Buckland Hill, to become the Leighton Battery. In early 1943, two 6-inch guns were moved from Arthur Head to Leighton, which were proof fired on 8 February 1943. Construction of the site had been carried out jointly by the 7th Troop of the [[Royal Australian Engineers]], the [[Royal Australian Artillery]] and the [[Public Works Department (Western Australia)|Public Works Department of Western Australia]].<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" /> Much of the work on the Leighton Battery was also undertaken by the [[Australian Women's Army Service]].<ref name="Pride" />

After the [[Battle of Singapore|Fall of Singapore]] in February 1942, Fremantle's importance increased, becoming the largest [[Fremantle submarine base|submarine base]] in the Southern Hemisphere.<ref name="Pride" />

The Leighton Battery functioned as Examination Battery, being responsible for the identification of incoming ships into Fremantle Port. The 6-inch guns were operational until March 1945, when they were relocated to the [[Princess Royal Fortress]] at [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]].<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" />

Already in mid-1942, while the Arthur Head battery removal was decided upon, replacement of the existing batteries in Australia with [[QF 5.25-inch naval gun|5.25-inch naval coastal artillery/anti-aircraft guns]] was contemplated. In 1944, the decision was made to replace the Leighton, South Fremantle and [[Peron Battery|Point Peron batteries]] with this type of gun. At Leighton, work commenced in May 1945 but financial constraints prevented the completion until late 1947 and proof firing was not carried out until November that year. The installation of these guns at South Fremantle was never completed, also work had been started, while the Point Peron battery conversion never commenced at all. Ultimately, while it was envisioned to have all major ports in Australia protected by dual-use 5.25-inch guns, the Leighton Battery became the only one ever operational.<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" /> All up, eight such batteries were planned in Australia.<ref name="Assessment" /><ref name="Nomination" >{{cite web |url=https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/HRP.Fremantle%20Fortress%20-%20Leighton%20Battery.Nomination.V5.June%202014.pdf|title=Nomination of Fremantle Fortress - Leighton Battery WW2 Coastal Defence Facilities for an Engineering Heritage National Marker|author= |date=June 2014 |website=portal.engineersaustralia.org.au|publisher=[[Engineers Australia]] |access-date=25 April 2020 }}</ref>

In post-war Australia, the battery was used for training purposes by the army and, from 1952, by the [[Australian Army Reserve|Citizens’ Military Force]]. Usage of the battery ceased in 1963 and the entrances to the tunnels were closed off.<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" />

Apart from the above-ground installations, the battery had a significant, still preserved, underground installation, consisting of a complex set of tunnels, an observation post, various magazine, engine and rest rooms and a semi-buried command post.<ref name="Ceremony" /> The tunnels were excavated {{cvt|10|m}} underground and were over {{cvt|300|m}} long.<ref name="Assessment" />

Apart from the changing configuration of guns the installation also used [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40 mm gun]]s. At its peak, the Leighton Battery had a personnel of up to 135 men and women.<ref name="Assessment" />

Throughout its existence, the Leighton Battery was never fired against an enemy target, only ever for practice and training.<ref name="Pride" />

==Post-military use== [[File:6in Mark VII gun replica at Leighton Battery, April 2020.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Reproduction of a 6-inch naval gun at Leighton Battery]] The Commonwealth of Australia gave up the Buckland Hill site in 1984, handing it to the [[Town of Mosman Park]]. Most of it was redeveloped while other parts became a public reserve. The area previously occupied by the Leighton Battery was awarded to the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society of Western Australia for the purpose of operating a museum at the site.<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" />

During the 1980s and 1990s, the site was restored and officially opened on 29 November 1997 by Major General [[Michael Jeffery (Australian Army officer)|Michael Jeffery]], [[Governor of Western Australia]].<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" />

In 2014, a gun shield removed from [[HMAS Adelaide (1918)|HMAS ''Adelaide'']] during a refit in 1943 and dumped on a [[Landfill|rubbish tip]] on the [[Mornington Peninsula]], Victoria, was transported to Perth for refurbishment. A member of the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society of Western Australia, which had been searching for such a shield for 20 years as a match for a [[BL 6-inch Mk XI naval gun|6-inch Mk XI naval gun]] it held from [[HMAS Sydney (1912)|HMAS ''Sydney'']], a ship scrapped in 1929, had spotted the shield at location.<ref name="Dumped" >{{cite news |last=Brown|first=Simon Leo |date=19 November 2014 |title=Dumped World War II gun shield to be refurbished and displayed in Perth|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-19/dumped-ww2-gun-shield-refurbished-for-display/5902674|work=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=25 April 2020 }}</ref> The naval gun and shield were installed at Leighton Battery in September 2015 to replicate the original 6-inch guns at site.<ref name="Pride" >{{cite news |last=Wynne|first=Emma |date=24 September 2014 |title=World War II naval gun shield takes pride of place at Perth's former artillery base|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-24/long-awaited-shield-arrives-at-perth-wwii-heritage-site/6799296|work=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=25 April 2020 }}</ref>

==Heritage listings== The site of the Leighton Battery was added to the now-defunct [[Register of the National Estate]] on 22 June 1993. National Trust Classification was awarded on 13 May 1996 and it was declared a [[State Register of Heritage Places|State Register of Heritage Place]] on 27 August 1999. Nominated in June 2014, the site was awarded an Engineering Heritage National Marker by [[Engineers Australia]] in November 2014.<ref name="Ceremony" /><ref name="Assessment" /><ref name="Inherit" >{{cite web |url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/380594f1-f7a7-4036-b117-3dd4e2e506fd|title=Leighton Battery (Inherit # 03247)|author= |website=inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au|publisher=[[State Register of Heritage Places]] |access-date=25 April 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/heritage/fremantle-fortress-leighton-battery-ww2-coastal-defence-facilities19411947 | title = Fremantle Fortress - Leighton Battery WW2 Coastal Defence Facilities,1941/1947- | publisher = Engineers Australia | access-date = 2020-04-27 }}</ref>

Apart from the Leighton Battery, the Bickley and Oliver Hill Batteries on Rottnest Island and the Cape Peron K Battery of the Fremantle Fortress have also been State Heritage listed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Search/Results?newSearch=True&placeNameContains=Battery&streetNameContains=&suburbOrTownContains=&lgaContains=&isCurrentlyStateRegistered=true&isCurrentlyStateRegistered=false|title=State Register of Heritage Places listed Batteries|author= |website=inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au|publisher=[[State Register of Heritage Places]] |access-date=26 April 2020 }}</ref>

==Further reading== * {{Citation | author1=[[Graham McKenzie-Smith|McKenzie-Smith, Graham]] | title=Defending Fremantle, Albany and Bunbury, 1939 to 1945 | year=2009 | publication-date=2009 | publisher=Grimwade Publications | isbn=978-0-9806291-0-1 }}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.artillerywa.org.au/raahs/leighton.htm Leighton Battery at The Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society of Western Australia (Inc) website]

[[Category:Artillery units and formations of Australia]] [[Category:Artillery battery fortifications in Australia]] [[Category:Town of Mosman Park]] [[Category:1941 establishments in Australia]] [[Category:1963 disestablishments in Australia]] [[Category:State Register of Heritage Places in the Town of Mosman Park]] [[Category:Recipients of Engineers Australia engineering heritage markers]] [[Category:Fremantle Fortress]]