Post by Les on Apr 16, 2022 4:29:19 GMT
During the first world war rs Armstrong buil tthe mountings for three railway guns
for 14 inch Mk III and Mrk VI that were returned to England.
1940 Winson Chirchill had institutted the instuttion of 2 14 long range guns at St Mary's
Bay.these became known as Winnie and Pooh
He turned is attention to bombatding the Frnch Coast.
If he put out a order to look for the m I don't know but Col Montague Ceeeve is reported to
have found two of them.
Piecemaker and Sconeshifter were the ones he found at Chilwell Notts.
They were at the end of a long rust railway track in a Gigantic Transport shed .
there waas a skylight the length of shed but with the spider we bs was like being in a fog.
All was intacked but no baarrels. There was also some mountings 9.2 mrk XIII mountings and
barrels.some other Mrk's barrrels.
They decieded that they could all be adapted to use the 13.5 inch barrel with some improvement
to the Shells.
Southern Railways and L.N.E.R agreed to transport them really slow to Kent .
They had checked on the bridges en route.
When brought back from France the pieces had been transported separatly but this was as they were.
The site chosen for the guns was Lydden and Guston tunnels on the Deal to Dover Line.
The old sidings at Stone Hall.Lydden(once was the colliery sidings)was to be the Gun Park used for
Repair and Maintainance.
Thr Guns were to be hidden with ammonision wagons in the tunnels.
Martin Mill Station was restored and extra line extended to St Marget's Cliff.
Winnie and Pooh were manned by the Roal Marire Siege Regiment.a detatchment of these was sent to the
school of Heavy Artilery (R)
at Catterick for training.
The 3 Guns were to be used the same as Winnie and Pooh but being able to be moved to any point that
was required.with the advantage of going back out of sight into there tunnels.
Four diesel train engines were based at St Margrets Bay Martin hills Station to be driven by a
detachment of The Royal Marines.
Sceneshister was the first to the sites .It came fromElswick Ordnance Work. the last time in had
been used was in 1918 then bombarding Amiem the erother to were kept in reserve..
At st Margarets at Cliffe a siding had been built near Townsend Farm with storage for ammunion next to
the Tracks near Swing Fates Inn.
There was a single track line betweenLyndden Park Gun Park and Walmer spur so t token system was used to
prevent 2 trains running toward each other on this line.
When the 2 firing spurs were complete at the top of the cliff the next line was laid near Swingate R..A.F
station.
the R.A.F were worried the vibrations from the Guns woulld uppset their Radar.
The Gun carrigges were fitted with Westinghouse brakes thiswas to stop the carrage from rolling back when fired.
Next came Piecemaker but after firing a practace shot there was a reply from the otherside and the shell landed
a few feet from the track danaging the track and.axle of the carrage that were swiftly taken to shford for repairs.
as plan started for the D Day landing it was decieded to move the 3 big guns back to Ashford Canterbury and Faversham
so they were never used and were broken up in 1961