Fraser Gunnery Range's early history is difficult to find, but it is visible on aerial photographs from 1946, some of which appear to show large guns on the foreshore.
During the period 1924-37, RMB Fort Cumberland was used for searchlight and sound locator training, pier building and landing craft development. The fort itself was used by the Royal Marines Artillery. It's my guess that the buildings here date from during, or shortly after this time.
In the 1950s, the site was known as Fleet Assessment Unit Fraser. It trained Naval personnel in director sight firing with QF and Bofors guns and later with Sea Cat and Sea Wolf Missiles. Until 1974, the base was also home to HMS St. George, the Navy's Special Duty Officer School.
In 1986, the gunnery range closed and the site later became an Admiralty Research Establishment concerned with Civil Marine radar. The base was transferred to Qinetiq in 2001 and was slowly wound down, closing in 2006.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I visited last month on a particularly warm day and had a fairly relaxed amble around the buildings and gun platforms, finally heading home at sunset. Entering through a hole in the fence, it soon became apparent that a lot has been stripped out in the last year: older reports I've seen show large Radar towers, a generator and rooftop access to buildings, all now gone unfortunately. What also became apparent was that there were a lot of people on site. Some were tanked up on cheapo lager and smashing things but others were just wandering around or taking photographs. Apart from some college kids who asked for directions, no-one seemed particularly concerned by my presence, so I kept my distance and let them get on with it.
[1] 1946 Aerofilms image showing Fort Cumberland with the range buildings behind.
[2] Office/Laboratory Building
[3] Since DERA hasn't existed for 13 years, I think we'll be ok
[4] Transmitter/receiver
[5] Very old video processor
[6] A room full of groovy foam spikes. Didn't find an anechoic chamber though
[7] Upsatairs corridor
[8] Pedestal Radar unit
[9] Peely paint
[10] School Building axial corridor
[11] Briefing Room
[12] Seacat launcher switchgear
[13] One of the many gun and missile launcher bases on the foreshore
[14] North Cape control room in the evening light
The rest of my pics and history can be found here.
Thanks for reading,
Arch
During the period 1924-37, RMB Fort Cumberland was used for searchlight and sound locator training, pier building and landing craft development. The fort itself was used by the Royal Marines Artillery. It's my guess that the buildings here date from during, or shortly after this time.
In the 1950s, the site was known as Fleet Assessment Unit Fraser. It trained Naval personnel in director sight firing with QF and Bofors guns and later with Sea Cat and Sea Wolf Missiles. Until 1974, the base was also home to HMS St. George, the Navy's Special Duty Officer School.
In 1986, the gunnery range closed and the site later became an Admiralty Research Establishment concerned with Civil Marine radar. The base was transferred to Qinetiq in 2001 and was slowly wound down, closing in 2006.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I visited last month on a particularly warm day and had a fairly relaxed amble around the buildings and gun platforms, finally heading home at sunset. Entering through a hole in the fence, it soon became apparent that a lot has been stripped out in the last year: older reports I've seen show large Radar towers, a generator and rooftop access to buildings, all now gone unfortunately. What also became apparent was that there were a lot of people on site. Some were tanked up on cheapo lager and smashing things but others were just wandering around or taking photographs. Apart from some college kids who asked for directions, no-one seemed particularly concerned by my presence, so I kept my distance and let them get on with it.
[1] 1946 Aerofilms image showing Fort Cumberland with the range buildings behind.
[2] Office/Laboratory Building
[3] Since DERA hasn't existed for 13 years, I think we'll be ok
[4] Transmitter/receiver
[5] Very old video processor
[6] A room full of groovy foam spikes. Didn't find an anechoic chamber though
[7] Upsatairs corridor
[8] Pedestal Radar unit
[9] Peely paint
[10] School Building axial corridor
[11] Briefing Room
[12] Seacat launcher switchgear
[13] One of the many gun and missile launcher bases on the foreshore
[14] North Cape control room in the evening light
The rest of my pics and history can be found here.
Thanks for reading,
Arch
