Manpa said:
Yes Manpa you are correct.
"Glen Robbins character was instrumental in the construction of the answer." -
Following the 187576Royal Commissioninto the Volunteer Forces, the Victorian Government invited the Director of Works and Fortifications inLondon, Lieutenant General SirWilliam Jervois, to Victoria to further advise on Victoria's defences. He arrived in 1873 accompanied by the "Colonel Russel Coight". Their joint report recommended that the basic defences for the Colony should be concentrated on the Heads, and consist of fortifications at the entrance to the Bay and on the shoals between the main shipping channels.
"Gold was one of the factors for this to be built"
The discovery of goldin Victoria meant that the colony now had something to defend. As the Argus warned its readers
in the event of war we are in a very defenceless state and that the fact of it being known all over the world that we have a few millions, worth of solid gold within cannon shot of the Bay is a circumstance which renders us peculiarly liable to attack.4
British troops were partially withdrawn in 1860, when they were sent to New Zealand to fight in the second Maori War. They were completely withdrawn in 1870. Volunteer enthusiasm had waned after the Crimean War ended but the withdrawal of British troops was an incentive to plan Victorian defences and improve the local force.
"The first Australian shots (many sources report the first Allied shots) of bothWorld War IandWorld War IIwere fired from here"
The first Australian shots (many sources report the first Allied shots) of bothWorld War IandWorld War IIwere fired from Fort Nepean.[2][3][4][5][6][Note 1]
On 5 August 1914, the German shipSSPfalzattempted to escape fromPort Phillip. Within minutes of being notified that war had been declared, Lieutenant-Colonel Sandford atFort Queenscliffgave an order to Lieutenant C Morris, the Fire Commander at Fort Nepean, to "stop her or sink her".[7]After thePfalzignored signals to halt, the B1 gun fired across her bow. ThePfalzthen turned around and the crew was arrested atPortsea.
At 1.30am on 4 September 1939, within hours of war being declared, the A1 gun fired across the bow of a ship which failed to identify itself. The ship then identified as the Australian freighter SSWoniora.
These were the only occasions any of the Port Phillip batteries fired in anger.
Thank you Manpa for your participation, I have to try not to answer for a bit as we are heading bush in the morning. :Y: :Y: :Y: :Y: Lets get out of town.
Over to you.
Cheers
Doug
