Map images

In terms of content, purpose, authorship and intended audiences, these military maps share much in common with the Board of Ordnance military maps of Scotland in the 18th century. The Board of Ordnance was formally abolished in 1855, and thereafter, its mapping work was taken up by Ordnance Survey and the War Office. Within the War Office, the Intelligence Department, built around the Topographical and Statistical Department (IDWO), was responsible for maps. This unit expanded to employ twenty staff in the 1890s, becoming the Topographical Section, General Staff (TSGS) in 1905, and the Geographical Section General Staff (GSGS) in 1907. Ordnance Survey and GSGS continued to share information, expertise, mapping and personnel, especially for military mapping purposes. Ordnance Survey undertook substantial drawing and printing tasks for GSGS, and, as is the case for these maps, Ordnance Survey’s personnel and base maps were employed for illustrating Scottish defensive works in the 20th century.

The battery at Braefoot Point in Fife was planned in 1912, and probably built in 1914–15, protecting the northern end of the anti-submarine barrier that ran across the Forth from Cramond. By the time of the Ordnance Survey mapping for the War Office shown here in 1918, the site was disarmed. However, during the War, the battery had a defended perimeter comprising a firing trench, a ‘palisade’ fence, and a barbed wire entanglement. There was a barracks incorporated in the perimeter, with the outward facing side and both end walls loop-holed for defence. Although the original defensive perimeter still existed, two large camps were built to accommodate the wartime garrison and these were enclosed within a larger barbed-wire fence. By 1918 there were ten blockhouses, four in an inner and six in an outer line.

Extracted, with thanks, from Historic Environment Scotland's CANMORE website - Braefoot Point.

Cramond Island was fortified in 1915 as part of the Middle defences of the Firth of Forth, primarily to cover the anti-submarine barrier that ran from Cramond to Braefoot, via Inchmickery and Inchcolm islands. The Island was fortified with two 12-pounder guns and also had an Electric Light emplacement. The island was re-armed at the beginning of the Second World War and two 12-pounders were re-mounted on the original emplacements.

Extracted, with thanks, from Historic Environment Scotland's CANMORE website - Cramond Island.

The defences on Inchcolm Island surround the Augustinian monastery, first established as a priory in the twelfth century, and elevated to abbey status in 1235. Over the following centuries, Inchcolm was the subject of a number of attacks by English forces who plundered the monastery, and following the Reformation and the demise of the abbey, the island’s strategic location in the Forth resulted in it being fortified against new enemies. Gun batteries were established at the eastern end of the island during the Napoleonic Wars, which were still evident in the 1820s when Charles Hutton visited and mapped the island. Inchcolm was remanned for defence in March 1915 with a battery of eight 12-pounder Quick Firing guns and two or three Defence Electric Lights (powerful searchlights to illuminate targets at night). The guns and lights were intended to protect the anti-submarine boom that controlled access up the Forth from this point. Two of the guns were placed in the western part of the island (“H” Group) and six in the eastern part, around the summit of that part of the island (“O” Group facing north; “M” Group facing NE and “L” Group facing SE). The Battery Command Post and the Electric Light Director were behind these six guns. The map shows three electric lights, all in the eastern part of the island, one at the northern corner, at two at the eastern tip.

Inchcolm was to be provided with a far heavier armament in 1916-17, as part of the wider reorganisation of Forth defences. Two of the 12-pounder guns were to be retained (“O” Group). A battery of four 4-inch Quick-Firing guns was built just in advance of the other 12-pounder emplacements on the east part (“M” and “L”) and at the top of the hill a powerful battery of two 6-inch guns was built along with a new Battery Control Post. In the western part of the island the “H” Group of two 12-pounders was replaced by four 4.7-inch Quick-Firing guns. By 1921 Inchcolm was the site of the Fire Control command for the whole Middle Line of the Forth defence. A Fire Control Post was built on the west part of the island possibly around this time, and used again in the Second World War.In 1930 the station and its equipment were dismantled: the 6-inch guns were sent to Inchkeith. The 4-inch guns were returned to the depot and the 4.7-inch guns were broken up for scrap.

Inchcolm was re-armed in October 1939, when two 12-pounders were installed on the old 6-inch gun emplacements. A twin 6-pounder gun was later installed, supposedly on one of the old 4-inch emplacements, but possibly on a new emplacement and various lighter guns (Bofors AA and 2-pounder ‘pom pom’) were installed on the island.

Extracted, with thanks, from Historic Environment Scotland's CANMORE website - Inchcolm.

Inchkeith was fortified from the 1880s onwards, with steadily expanding armed forces. By the early 20th century, local firing trenches had been constructed to guard the bays at the northern end of the island from landing. The approach from Leith Harbour (the main working harbour of the island) to the West Battery was also guarded by infantry. By 1911 the defences had been upgraded to include a triple or quadruple ‘wire entanglement’ across the north-facing beach at ‘Kinghorn Harbour’, another restricting access from the bay known as ‘Kirkcaldy Harbour’, and a third across the southern frontage of the South Fort. About a dozen firing trenches were dug, many fronted with concrete walls, to cover areas vulnerable to landing. The southern approach to the South Fort was strongly defended by a trench, lined with concrete, about 75 metres long, mostly roofed with railway sleepers. By 1915 nine blockhouses had been built at particularly vulnerable points, and this number had increased to 14 by 1918. By the end of the First World War in 1918, more than half of the perimeter of the island was closed off by barbed wire entanglements, and a far more complex series of firing trenches had been dug.

Extracted, with thanks, from Historic Environment Scotland's CANMORE website - Inchkeith.

Inchmickery was first manned in March 1915, at the same time as Inchcolm, when a detachment of 72 NCOs and men landed on the two islands from Leith Royal Garrison Artillery. The large concrete gun emplacements originally housed four 12-pounder guns on the highest ridge of the island, but these were upgraded with guns transferred from the island of Inchgarvie, below the Forth Rail Bridge, in late 1916. Behind the guns were large magazines, stores and shelters for officers and men, as well as latrines and a sewage pipe. Initially there were two searchlights but, as shown here, these expanded to four ‘Electric Lamp Emplacements’ by the end of the War. Although the battery garrison was not entirely self-sufficient, it had been planned as a practical, working battery with an engine room and cooling tanks, messes, canteens, stores, accommodation for officers and sergeants, a plumber’s shop, carpenter’s shop, smithy, ablution rooms, bath rooms and cook houses. Inchmickery also protected the anti-submarine boom that ran from Burntisland Sands in the north to Cramond Island in the south. Some of the guns were removed in 1917 and the rest in 1924, but the island was refortified, with several defences rebuilt between 1939-42.

Extracted, with thanks, from Historic Environment Scotland's CANMORE website - Inchmickery.

A territorial artillery garrison and searchlight was set up at Ardhallow, between Dunoon and Innellan (built 1901-05). There were two 6-inch guns placed at Ardhallow battery which stood in open emplacements. During the Second World War a gun-house was constructed over each emplacement. These two detailed plans provide a survey of the site in advance of the placement of these defences.

The Cloch Point coastal artillery battery, situated three miles south-west of Gourock, on the opposite bank of the estuary from Dunoon, was built during 1916-17 by the Royal Engineers and infantry. Initially, two guns were removed from Portkil Battery in September 1916 to be mounted at Cloch Point. The Clyde estuary is only about 2.7 km wide here, but the guns had a range of almost 11 km, firing 45 kg shells that could pierce armour. Another function of the battery was to cover an anti-submarine boom strung across the river from Cloch Point lighthouse.

Extracted, with thanks, from Historic Environment Scotland's CANMORE website - Cloch Point.

Portkil was a powerful battery of two 6-inch naval guns, capable of tackling a large enemy warship coming up the River Clyde, and two 4.7-inch Quick Fire guns (intended to tackle faster, smaller vesssels). This battery was paired with another, at Fort Matilda, on the south side of the estuary. The estuary is about 2.2 km wide here, but the larger guns had a range of almost 11 km, firing an armour-piercing shell weighing 45kg.

The battery was built between November 1900 and March 1904. The battery originally comprised the pair of 4.7-inch emplacements at the east end, and the pair of 6-inch emplacements about 180m away to the west. At a point mid-way between them were a cookhouse, toilets and a store. In both pairs of emplacements the gun pits lay above a magazine building, deeply buried in the ground on the side exposed to an enemy.These two detailed plans provide a survey of the site in advance of the placement of these defences.

Towards the end of 1908 plans were in hand to build a new combined battery control post and Electric Light Director control post, just above and behind the 6-inch guns. Further buildings, offices for the Royal Artillery staff and the resident Royal Engineers, stores and quarters for a caretaker, were all being designed at the same time. By 1916 a large accommodation camp comprising 10 large barrack huts and accompanying stores, cookhouse etc had been built to the east of the battery, protected by the lie of the land from enemy fire. Defensive trenches were dug on the tip of Portkil Point and the whole landward side of the battery was surrounded by a barbed wire entanglement to protect it from a possible landward attack.

Extracted, with thanks, from Historic Environment Scotland's CANMORE website - Portkil.

Barry Buddon Ness has been a dedicated military training ground throughout the 20th century. The site comprises around 2,300 acres (930 hectares) of dunes, foreshore and rough ground with isolated stands of trees, jutting out into the Tay between Monifieth and Carnoustie. It was used from the mid-nineteenth century by the Forfarshire Rifle Volunteers, by the Panmure Battery of the Forfarshire Artillery Brigade, and by a Royal Naval Reserve Battery. In 1897, the land was sold by Lord Panmure to the War Office, and it remained in their ownership ever since, still serving today as a major training centre for infantry and light artillery, with around 30,000 soldiers passing through the camp every year.

This plan of Barry Buddon Ness by the War Office dates from 1939 and is based partly on the Ordnance Survey six-inch to the mile topographical mapping of 1923, but with updates and enlarged to 9 inches to the mile (1:7,040). Apart from the Dundee to Arbroath Railway to the north, and the Barry Buddon Ness Lighthouses in the south, virtually all other man-made features have a military purpose. The long range of numbered camps in the north, running alongside the railway, had few permanent buildings, but extensive demarcated locations for cook houses, wash houses and segregated latrines for officers and men. The main rifle ranges were in the east, the longest stretching 1,700 yards, with artillery ranges and huts, bomb-proof shelters and stores all lying to the south. The main set of permanent buildings of the Camp itself were in the centre west, including the Officers Quarters and Mess, many storage buildings, stables, a hospital and hutments, and an R.A.F. Landing Ground. Several rifle ranges and target sheds lay further to the west.

This declassified military map by the cartographic unit within the Ministry of Defence shows the danger area of the new rocket range sited in the late 1950s at the north-western tip of South Uist. The main missile testing range shown was built by the Royal Air Force between 1957 and 1958 to test the Corporal missile, Britain and America’s first guided nuclear weapon. Although the Corporal missile was quickly superseded by other missiles by the 1960s, including the longer-range Sergeant and Lance tactical nuclear missiles, over 200 launches of rockets took place between 1962 and 1982, some reaching altitudes of nearly 200 kilometres. In the early 2000s, the airfield underwent an upgrade, allowing it to participate in the Eurofighter Typhoon project, test firing advanced air-to-air missiles.

The Ministry of Defence decision to site the new rocket range here in the 1950s was based on a number of essential geographical requirements which this map reveals: a level stretch of beach over 3 miles long and a mile deep for the range launch area; an area of sea extending around 250 miles by 100 miles where the rockets would fall, relatively free from shipping and containing an uninhabited island in the line of fire to monitor the trajectory of the guided missile; high land on both flanks of the range launch area and in its rear for the siting of radar stations; and two airfields of 6,000 feet, or extendible to that size, within reasonable distance. The recently depopulated island group of St Kilda was perfectly positioned for a radar tracking station, constructed at the same time, whilst the support centre for the rocket range is closely associated with Benbecula Airport at Balivanich.

A detailed map at 1:500 scale of the site for the new Dreghorn Barracks, which would be constructed in 1937-39 in the grounds of Dreghorn Castle. Dreghorn Castle was a mansion dating from the 17th century, and extended around 1805, which was acquired by the War Office in 1893, and eventually demolished in 1955.

The original First World War cordite munitions factory at Gretna was largely dismantled in 1919-1920, but in the late 1930s there were detailed plans made for constructing new military ordinance works on the Gretna site. These maps, printed in 1938, essentially took the standard topography from the OS six-inch second edition maps, published ca. 1900, and overlaid them with much more detailed height information, shown as red contours. The new sheet lines also allowed the Gretna / Longtown site to be more easily visualised than on the standard OS six-inch maps, with their different county sheet lines and meridians. In the event, the decision was taken to site the new propellant factory at Bishopton.