Artillery in St. Lucia

Artillery in St. Lucia

St. Lucia features extensive 18^th and 19^th-century British artillery, notably at Fort Rodney on Pigeon Island and the La Toc Battery in Castries, which was established to defend the harbour from French forces. Key sites include 24-pounder cannons, mortar positions, and the restored 12-ton guns at the Apostles’ Battery on Morne Fortune. These fortifications, often overlooking strategic bays, are maintained by the St. Lucia National Trust.

Manning of the Apostles’ Battery on the Morne was begun on 16 Dec 1888, when a detachment of 49 men of the 1^st West India Regiment arrived at Castries to begin fortifying the port. The first detachment of Royal Artillery arrived on 12 Nov 1890, along with four huge guns to equip the battery. This, and all other forts in Saint Lucia, were abandoned in 1905 when salvageable metal and hardware was removed. The guns were dismounted and thrown over the abutments and the sites were declared unrequired for military service.

Key Artillery Locations on St. Lucia and History

Fort Rodney (Pigeon Island): Built in 1778, this site features a powder magazine, a 24-pounder smoothbore muzzleloading (SBML) gun and other guns that served to protect St. Lucia against French ships from Martinique.

La Toc Battery: Located above Castries harbour, this battery contains muzzle-loading shell guns, underground storage for shells, and defensive walls designed to protect the coaling station. The old fort was previously garrisoned by British Colonial Forces. Today it is an historical site, with stone walls, secret underground passages, and provides visitors with a glimpse into a past world. There were 60 surrounding forts protecting the valuable coaling harbour at Castries, of which La Toc is the best preserved. It was completed in 1888 and in use until 1905. It was originally built by the British to repel attacks on the harbour.

(David Stanley Photo)

The RML 10-inch guns Mk I – Mk II like this one, were large rifled muzzle-loading shell guns designed for British battleships and monitors in the 1860s to 1880s. They were also used for fixed coastal defences around the United Kingdom and around the British Empire until the early years of the 20th century.

(Steve Eggar Photo)

10-inch 18-ton Mk. II Muzzleloading Rifled shell gun, weight unknown, likely in the range of 17-0-0-0 (TBC), (RGF No. unknown, c1870) on left trunnion, (+) on right trunnion, Queen Victoria cypher, mounted on an iron traversing carriage. An English ton is 2,240 lbs, therefore the weight for this gun would be (17 X 2,240 lbs = 38,080 lbs) + any additional numbers which could add (nujmber X 112 lbs) which would be close to 20 tons in Canadian weight.

Apostles’ Battery (Morne Fortune): Commenced in 1888, this battery featured four large guns named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which were restored in 2015 after being abandoned in 1905.

Historic cannon can also be found at locations like Anse Chastanet. These guns were heavily used during the 14 or more recorded battles between British and French forces for control of the island. While many guns were dismounted and thrown over cliffs when the forts were decommissioned in 1905, significant efforts by the St. Lucia National Trust have restored many, such as those at Morne Fortune.

No. 1. 9-inch 12-ton Mk. III Muzzleloading Rifle, weight 12-3-0-0, (28,280 lbs), (RGF No. 97, I, 1866) on left trunnion, (+) on right trunnion, Queen Victoria cypher, mounted on a concrete stand forward of the original concrete gun position.

No. 2. 9-inch 12-ton Mk. III Muzzleloading Rifle, weight 12-2-0-0, (28,224 lbs), (RGF No. corroded) on left trunnion, (+) on right trunnion, Queen Victoria cypher, mounted on a concrete stand forward of the original concrete gun position.

No. 3. 9-inch 12-ton Mk. III Muzzleloading Rifle with a blown barrel, weight corroded, (>28,000 lbs), (RGF No. corroded) on left trunnion, (+) on right trunnion, Queen Victoria cypher, mounted on a concrete stand forward of the original concrete gun position.

No. 4. 9-inch 12-ton Mk. III Muzzleloading Rifle, weight corroded, (>28,000 lbs), (RGF No. corroded) on left trunnion, (+) on right trunnion, Queen Victoria cypher, mounted on a concrete stand forward of the original concrete gun position.

Canadian Artillery in St. Lucia, 1915-1919

Canadian artillery served in St. Lucia from 1915 to 1919 during the First World War. In March and April 1915 detachments of the Royal Canadian Artillery and the Canadian Garrison Artillery landed in St. Lucia, with a force of nine officers and 105 other ranks. The contingent of officers and men manned the artillery installed to protect the Castries harbour, the Castries coaling station and the Royal Navy Station in the southern Caribbean. This force, at the Armistice in 1918, consisted of fourteen officers and two hundred and four other ranks of the Royal Canadian Artillery, two officers and twenty-eight other ranks of the Royal Canadian Engineers, and one officer and eight other ranks of the Canadian Army Medical Corps. Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, “C” Battery, was stationed at Castries from October of 1917 until 1919. One draft of the 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery Regiment helped to form No. 6 Company, Siege Artillery, which served in St. Lucia.

The Canadian gunners were equipped with the Ordnance QF 13-pounder (quick firing) field gun, which was the standard equipment of the British and Canadian Royal Horse Artillery when the First World War broke out in 1914. It was developed as a response to combat experience gained in the Boer War and entered service in 1904. It was intended as a rapid-firing and highly-mobile yet reasonably powerful field gun for RHA batteries supporting Cavalry brigades, which were expected to be engaged in mobile open warfare.

(Author Photo)

13-pounder 6-cwt QF Land Mk. II Field Gun, VSM, broad arrow, 1911, (Serial No. 279), King George V cypher. Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario.

Key Details of Deployment (1915–1919)

Purpose: To man coastal defense guns protecting the strategic coaling station at Castries, St. Lucia.
Personnel: Primarily drawn from the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery (RCGA), including detachments from Halifax, Saint John, and Esquimalt.
Force Composition: By 1918, the force included 14 officers and 204 other ranks of the Royal Canadian Artillery, along with Royal Canadian Engineers and Canadian Army Medical Corps.
Key Figures: Major A.E. Harris commanded the initial contingent.
Relief: They replaced British garrison troops, allowing them to serve elsewhere.

This contribution was part of a broader, lesser-known effort by Canada to support British defense in the Caribbean, including a similar deployment to Bermuda.

There are four Blomefield Cast Iron 24-pounder 50-cwt SBML guns with a likely weight of more than 5,700 lbs), (Serial Nos. and weight numbers heavily corroded. All have a visible King George III cypher and broad arrow mark, and are mounted on a wood Naval Gun carriage, on the grounds of the Sandals Regency La Toc Saint Lucia.