Fort Lytton National Park

Fort Lytton National Park
In the moat at Fort Lytton
Coordinates: 27 ° 24 ′ 44 ″  S , 153 ° 9 ′ 0 ″  E
Location:	Queensland , Australia
Specialty:	fortress
Next city:	Brisbane
Surface:	12.6 ha
Founding:	1990
Remnants of a QF-4.7 ″ gun aimed at the Brisbane River in the No. 4 cannon tower
The same gun in 1943

The Fort Lytton National Park (English: Fort Lytton National Park ) is a national park in the southeast of the Australian state of Queensland .

location

It is located eight miles northeast of downtown Brisbane at the mouth of the Brisbane River on the south bank.

Fort Lytton

Fort Lytton is a historically important building. It is a five-sided fortification, which is equipped with a moat and grassy dams. This is the only Australian fortress with a moat.

history

Fort Lytton is the birthplace of Queensland military history. Designed by Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Scratchley , the fortress was built in 1880 and 1881 and is the main remaining landmark of a facility that was the focus of Queensland's defense efforts for 40 years. Until the end of the Second World War , the facility was used to defend Brisbane.

Fort Lytton was built because of fears of a Russian attack on Australia in the 1870s and 1880s. To monitor the river, two 6 ″ front-loading guns with rifled barrels and two 64 pounder cannons were installed. Heavier guns were aimed at the river and covered the apron. Barracks were built for the permanent garrison occupation and the soldiers who were trained here. Fort Lytton was preserved for many years as a defensive bulwark and thousands of soldiers were trained here during the Boer War and two world wars.

The fort is typical of a 19th century garrison - a five-sided fortress behind a grassy dam and surrounded by a moat filled with water for greater protection. Located at the mouth of the Brisbane River, it was supposed to control the river and repel any attempt by enemy ships to attack the port of Brisbane or to besiege the city.

The Australian colonies were part of the British Empire, which had made many enemies in the 19th century when the colonial powers rapidly expanded their empires. At the time the fort was built, Brisbane had fewer than 100,000 people and the city's annual trade was more than £ 4 million. Brisbane was more vulnerable to enemy attacks than Sydney or Melbourne , as it was only three day cruises from the French garrison in Nouméa . Local defense facilities were therefore essential. Based on the recommendations of the well-known British soldiers and military tacticians Major General Sir William Jervois and Lieutenant Colonel Peter Scratchley , Queensland decided to rely primarily on a solid defense structure for their capital and their richest port, Brisbane.

The two commissioners favored Lytton on the estuary, "where a good location for a land-based battery so that both sides and broadsides can be fired at enemy ships." Submarine mines should be laid across the river and made heavier by a battery Guns are supported on the earthworks in Lytton. Jervois envisioned the Queensland Defense Forces in action:

“To oppose a landing, I recommend, firstly, that a gun vessel of light draft should be provided ... to dash in amongst an enemy's boats whilst in the shallow water between the anchorage and the shore, to which the enemy's ships could not obtain access. Taking up a position in the boat channel at the mouth of the river, she would be very favorably placed for acting either to the north or the south, and for directing her fire also against the enemy's ships, if desired. "

"In order to prevent a landing (of the enemy forces), I first demand that a light gunboat should be obtained (...) that should strike against the enemy's ships while it is in the shallows between their anchorages and the coast that these enemy ships cannot navigate. The boat should take up a position in the channel of the river mouth, acting either to the south or to the north and direct its fire against the enemy ships. "

- Major General Sir William Jervois

In the event of an enemy landing elsewhere in Moreton Bay , land troops with artillery and infantry would also be required “to cooperate with the naval forces to prevent a landing or to prevent the enemy forces from advancing on the city when the enemy has already landed Minor editions of the Brisbane Defense Plan were developed for the cities of Rockhampton and Maryborough - anti-torpedo belts of floating mines across the shipping channels and artillery nearby, supported by mobile forces.

To carry out this plan, a naval brigade and a torpedo corps had to be raised, an artillery battery had to be set up for the defense of Lytton and a better foot force for mobile operations. The commissioners did not demand cavalry, as mounted soldiers could be recruited by the police in an emergency. They also had to improve the telegraph network along the coast and buy at least one gunboat, "a good strong boat that can protect coastal towns in general and within the reef belt from private boats and gunboats," Jervois reported.

As a result, a scheme of fortified coastal batteries and submarine mine belts was established, supported by land forces. Coastal fortresses were built in the mid-1890s at Lytton, at Kissing Point near Townsville and at Green Hill on Thursday Island .

At Lytton, the defense concept also included submarine mines that could be lowered into the river. A small, permanently installed gun battery for the armed forces and engineers who were supposed to operate the submarine mines was set up. The permanent garrison garrison also had a cadre of experienced instructors who trained the soldiers and volunteers temporarily stationed there, artillery batteries, infantry companies and mounted companies stationed in more than 40 cities throughout the colony. A small naval defense unit was also formed, consisting of the two gunboats Gayunduh and Paluma and the torpedo boat Mosquito , supplemented by naval brigade companies in various ports.

The Jervois and Scratchley reports guided Australian coastal defense efforts through the remainder of the nineteenth century, as they gave shape to many vague premises and assumptions. The British Colonial Defense Committee changed the details as circumstances required. Cooperation in common defense has been one of the cornerstones of the Australian Federation. When the Australian colonies jointly built the Green Hill Fort on Thursday Island using the Defense Commissioner system, this was an unpretentious collaboration that already anticipated a development towards an Australian Commonwealth.

Fort Lytton, built in 1880/1881, initially had four guns. At the turn of the century it had six turrets and two machine gun positions. His main armament was the 6 "-5 ton Armstrong guns - called" disappearing guns "- which could emerge quickly and fire over the walls of the fort. In just 20 seconds they could be sunk back under the parapet. In the days of the Federation, Lytton had a whole arsenal:

• two 6 ″ BL5 Armstrong guns
• two 6 pounder QF Hotchkiss guns
• a four-barreled 25 mm Nordenfeldt machine gun
• a ten-barreled 11.5 mm Nordenfeldt machine gun
• two 64 pounder RML guns

The hidden minefield supported by the guns was operated by a hidden tunnel under the fortress. The tunnel was built in the early 1890s and can be visited today. In the 1930s, this system was replaced by a barrier that displayed all shipping traffic on the river using flag combinations. The remains of the winch used to operate the barrier can now be seen down on the riverbank near the WWII searchlight.

From the founding of the state in 1859 to the Australian Federation in 1901, Queensland had to rely mainly on volunteers for its defense. The Queensland Defense Force started volunteer in 1860. With the Federation, Queensland was able to offer highly qualified armed forces to defend the new nation.

Before World War I, Fort Lytton was the main training ground for the Queensland Forces until 1914. The first annual camp training was held in Lytton in 1881 and was also the fourth annual training camp for the Queensland volunteer soldiers. The annual camp trainings were held by the forces permanently stationed at Fort Lytton and were the only regular training for the volunteers. They became a political and social highlight on the Queensland calendar. Every year, Brisbane residents traveled to Lytton by train or boat to watch the spectacular military maneuvers and ceremonial events. The stories of the wild camp life, the courage of the soldiers and their camaraderie survived this era.

First World War

Fort Lytton was tried twice during World War I. The fort's guns fired warning shots at a Danish steamship and fishing boat trying to circumvent the official procedures required before continuing upstream.

Second World War

During World War II , the fort was a less important defensive position compared to the more modern batteries on Moreton Island and Bribie Island . In 1945 the fort had served its purpose as an effective defensive position and was abandoned.

After the Second World War

After the end of the Second World War, the old Fort Lytton became superfluous, was abandoned and all armament removed, fortunately with the exception of the two 64 pounder 6 " RML guns from 1878, the four original guns from 1886 and the retractable 6" RBL guns. The two 64-pounders were stored in Brisbane and the four guns left on the fort site. Two of them have since been removed, one to the Ampol Refinery, where it was mounted on a concrete foundation at the main entrance, the other to the 11th Field Regiment on Dudley Street in Annerly, which has since been abandoned and is part of history.

After the hostilities ended in 1945, the fort was abandoned to wind, rain, sun and the occasional bush fire. The latter destroyed a large part of the wooden fixtures inside the fort. In 1956, Ampol bought most of the site to build a refinery and cleaned up the site. The original bridge into the fort had burned down, as had the buildings inside. Later part of the moat in the front part of the fort was filled in so that one could get into the fort and clear the undergrowth etc. A dam was built and the area was used as a kind of picnic area.

In 1986 Fort Lytton was added to the list of national monuments.

In 1988, it emerged that Ampol wanted to return the fort's site to the state as a tourist attraction. On a particularly wet Saturday afternoon that same year, there was a silent gathering of former World War II soldiers, the much younger National Parks and Wildlife staff, and some active soldiers. The idea was to make the fort a tourist attraction. Veteran volunteer groups were to be formed and, later, perhaps the turrets restored.

The laundry of the old quarantine station was rented, National Parks and Wildlife equipped it with an old refrigerator, tables and chairs and served as a canteen and museum. The museum in the fort was restored by the Department of Works and furnished with memorabilia. Two of these guns were part of the fort's original armament, a horse-drawn 91b RML field gun and a four- barreled Nordenfeldt garrison and naval gun, a so-called "machine gun", which was operated by hand, but was very effective.

One of the two 6 "guns at the entrance is the gun that was used by the 11th Field Regiment for several years, and the other is the No. 2 submersible gun. The fort is now operated as a national park by National Parks and Wildlife . The authority is still actively supported by soldiers formerly stationed there who act as volunteer guides for the public. It should also be noted that the original group, which began its work in 1988, consisted of ordinary soldiers, NCOs and officers - all former World War II participants - who were committed to getting things going. You worked under the direction of Ray Cook and built the current state from practically nothing.

In 1992, approval was granted to begin construction of the turret for the No. 1 submersible gun. By the Easter camp in 1996 this was completed in five stages - depending on the availability of money. The only original part was the gun itself. Immediately afterwards, a 6-pounder QS Hotchkiss for turret no. 3 was started and it was completed by Christmas of the same year. No original parts could be used to build this gun. Later still, in 1997, Ray Cook and Dick Phillips - again with the active assistance of Bryan Davidson , a welder from National Parks and Wildlife - continued their work and gradually built a replica of the 4.7 " QF naval gun from 1898 mounted on turret No. 4. Again, no original parts could be used for its construction.

Despite their age of almost 80 years, the three then decided, with the help of others, to build the last gun, a two-barreled 6-pounder QF gun for turret No. 5. Today it can be viewed together with the others in the fort.

In 2011 the 1st Field Regiment returned one of the original 6 ″ 80 pounder RML guns to Fort Lytton and after three months of restoration work, it was able to be set up in the foyer of the canteen.

In 1992 Ray Cook was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his tireless efforts to restore the fort and make it accessible to the public. In 2000, Dick Phillips also received this medal, and in 2007, George Ludinski , another soldier who helped rebuild Fort Lytton.

Web links

Commons : Fort Lytton  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official site of the park (English)
• Place details - Fort Lytton, 160, South Street, Lytton QLD . Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved November 12, 2012

literature

• Charles Wentworth Dilke & Spenser Wilkinson: Imperial defense . Macmillan & Co, London 1892
• G. Ginn & Gordon Grimwade: Fortification, Federation and a single shot in anger: Green Hill Fort, Thursday Island . Handout of the 11th National Conference on Engineering Heritage. Institution of Engineers, Canberra 2001, pp. 77-84
• Geoff Ginn & Hilary Davies & Brian Rough (Editors): A most promising corps: citizen soldiers in colonial Queensland . Colonial Forces Study Group, Brisbane 2010
• Fort Lytton Conservation Plan (draft report) . Heritage Buildings Group 1993
• DH Johnson: Volunteers at heart - the Queensland Defense Forces 1860-1901 . University of Queensland Press 1975
• C. Kinloch Cooke: Australian defenses and New Guinea . From the files of the later Major-General Sir Peter Scratchley. RE, KCMG, London, Macmillan & Co, 1887
• WFD Jervois: Defences: preliminary report - Queensland votes and proceedings (1877) Volume 1, 1275–95

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Australian Government - CAPAD 2010 ( MS Excel ; 170 kB), DSEWPaC , accessed on January 7, 2013 (English)
2. ↑ Australian Government - CAPAD 1997 ( MS Excel ; 93 kB), DSEWPaC , accessed on January 7, 2013 (English)
3. ^ Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas . Steve Parish Publishing. Archerfield QLD 2007. ISBN 978-1-74193-232-4 . P. 3
4. ^ Fort Lytton National Park . EPA / QPWS ( Memento of the original dated December 31, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.