The Guns of Mumbles Lighthouse Island and Tutt Head, Limeslade 

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The soldiers of the Royal Artillery manned an examination battery of two Quick Firing 4.7-inch guns (G). [# both later exchanged for 4 inch guns] In addition, there was a 75 mm field gun for landward defence, plus several mortars and a Vickers machine gun. (V)

The typical photos show original 90mm searchlights and associated equipment, which ran at 90 Volts direct-current, and drawing around 120 Amperes from the Lister generators used to power them. These searchlights utilised this near-11 Kilowatt power-consumption to throw out a stabbing pencil-beam equating to just short of 2 Billion Candle-Power. 

The Coastguard Lookout at The Tutt On the west side of Bracelet Bay is Tutt Head coastguard station where, during the war, there were two searchlights operated by specialists and other local defences manned by forty men of the Home Guard. 

Overview

The port of Swansea served the heavy industrial area of South Wales and was the nearest of the large Bristol Channel docks to the Atlantic. Because of its importance Swansea had been included in the pre-war list of ports where fixed defences would be essential in the event of war, although there were none in place when war did break out. By the summer of 1940 the need for defence against both sea and air attacks had become critical. 

The defeat and occupation of France in June put Swansea in easy reach from air bases in Normandy and Brittany and there was also a very real fear of a German invasion during that summer or autumn. We now know that, around this time, high altitude reconnaissance photographs were taken by the Luftwaffe of Swansea and its surrounding area.

 BATTERY OBSERVATION POST  

The battery observation post (B.O.P.) was in an elevated position behind the guns and housed the depression rangefinder, used to calculate the range and bearing of a target. The information was then passed on to the gun emplacements. From the Post, Alarm gongs could be sounded at the war accommodation, the searchlights, and the engine room. The Battery Commander had a private direct-line line telephone link to headquarters and with all parts his command, with Battery (B) on Mumbles Island and with the Navy at the Port War Signal Station, who would identify all vessels steaming into Swansea Bay and signal to them with any orders.

Decommissioning: used by homeless families

After the end of the war, guns and other equipment were removed from both the Coastal and Anti-Aircraft Batteries. (The examination battery on the lighthouse island had already been disbanded.) Mumbles Head was finally decommissioned in 1957 and the six-inch gun battery bunkers and gun emplacements were either removed or covered over. 

Somerset House, later renamed Mumbles Hill House, used as the Officers Mess and by the two carecaters, (one of whom, Mr Morris wrote about his time in the Army and on the Hill ) was also decommitioned and sold.

Today, only markers and information boards indicate what was once there. The searchlight emplacements and the engine house on the lighthouse island still exist and remains of the concrete causeway going out to the island can be seen at low tide. Nissen huts at both Bracelet Bay and Mumbles Hill were used for a while as temporary accommodation for homeless families.

Postwar, a friend of Ronald Studden named Christtancock lived in one of the Nissan huts at Bracelet Bay and noted that in the early 1950s they had prior warnings, which arrived in the post twice a year, 'we were warned that the guns on the hill would fire twice a year for testing, usually January and July  and as a security measure we should tape up our windows.' 

This type of gun was developed in Britain in the 1930s and helped to defend Britain from aerial attack throughout the Second World War. This example was made in Canada by General Electric, to a design patented in England. It was bought from an arms collector in Ruthin, Denbighshire, and towed to Swansea by a Territorial Army unit. A time capsule was placed in the barrel.

Cast copies of 3.7-inch shells are mounted on each corner of the brick-faced plinth. Plaques on the plinth represent services which helped during the air raids including the Home Guard, fire brigade, British Red Cross, St John’s Ambulance, Salvation Army and Women’s Voluntary Service.

Toilet facilities may be found at Bracelet Bay, adjacent to Castellamare Cafe & Restaurant.

Publications Many leaflets including:- Mumbles at War, 623 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery and Mumbles at War, Coastal Defences 299th Battery, are available to order at Oystermouth Historical Association meetings.

An edited version of this article was previously published in The Swansea History Journal 2012-13.

 Acknowledgements :

 City and County of Swansea; The National Archives; West Glamorgan Archives; Guns Across the Severn, R.C.A.H.M.W. 2001; Mumbles Development Trust; Oystermouth Historical Association; Bill Morris; John & Carol Powell; Gareth Ellis; Kate Elliott.

Photo- At Lighthouse Island -WW2X-Gun - 4_7_inch_gun_crew_SS_Duntroon_1942_AWM_025314 wikapedia commons

Contact the Website Editor  Part of this article was published in The Swansea History Journal

Guided walks onto the hill have been held held as a part of the- The Gower Walking Festival >

Mumbles Hill Local Nature Reserve,

Contact: Sean Hathaway 01792 635749 or 07974 760980.

Nature Conservation Team > Environment Department, City and County of Swansea, The Guildhall, Swansea SA1 4PH

This City & County of Swansea project is under the supervision of 

Glamorgan Gwent Archaeology Trust Ltd., 

with assistance from Mumbles Development Trust 

and Oystermouth Historical Association.

Oystermouth Historical Association (OHA) Publications

Many leaflets are available to order including:- Mumbles at War, 623 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery and Mumbles at War, Coastal Defences 299th Battery,
Available at monthly meetings to order 

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