Connaught Battery

 (1912-1952) - Connaught Battery was a World War I Canadian reinforced concrete 4.7 inch coastal gun battery near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Named after then Governor General of Canada, the Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria's third son, Prince Arthur. Deactivated in 1920.

World War I (1914-1918)
A World War I gun battery with three 4.7-inch quick-firing guns. Located at Fergusons Cove, north of York Redoubt.The battery was constructed between 1913 and 1916. Construction was essentially completed and the guns were delivered to the site in January 1916. Two of the guns came from Fort Clarence and the third came from Fort Charlotte.

The guns themselves were 4.7 Quick Firing (QF) guns. These weapons fired a 45-pound projectile at a rate of 12 rounds per minute to an effective range of about 8,000 yards.

The 70 man garrison was provided by a militia unit, the 1st (Halifax) Regiment, Canadian Garrison Artillery. The garrison began to arrive in February 1916. Test rounds were fired from the guns early in August, and later in August the Duke of Connaught officially dedicated the battery.

Battery Connaught was manned and active until the armistice took effect on 11 Nov 1918.

Post World War I
Following the armistice, the garrison was withdrawn on 24 Dec 1918 and the battery was placed in caretaker status. In 1924-25, the wooden searchlight emplacements on the shore and the temporary battery command postwere replaced by concrete structures. The searchlights were run regularly for maintenance and training, but the guns were seldom fired.

In 1931 Battery Connaught was eliminated from the Harbor Defense of Halifax plan and in 1932 the ammunition was removed from the magazines and the guns were designated reserve armament. In the mid-1930s the navy decided that the antisubmarine net would be installed further out between York Redoubt and Maugher’s Beach. In 1938 the battery’s guns were removed. A new quick-firing battery was then constructed at the York Shore Battery in 1939.

World War II
The role of the battery in the Harbor Defense of Halifax during World War II was limited to the operation of the searchlights until the spring of 1941. The main part of the battery was used as temporary accommodation for artillery and service units.

Post World War II
After the war, buildings at the battery were used as quarters for married military personnel. All of the wooden barracks were declared surplus and dismantled in 1952-53. In 1971 the provincial government purchased the fort from Crown Assets.

Current Status
No period guns or mounts in place. The gun battery is deteriorating and is dangerous. The property is now a Halifax municipal park area with a small fenced area and building still belonging to the Department of National Defence (DND).

See Also:
 * Harbor Defense of Halifax

Sources: Links: 
 * Sarty, Roger and Ellis, Bruce, Connaught Battery and the Defence of the Atlantic Coast, 1906-1941, 2009, Canadian Military History: Vol. 18: Iss. 2, Article 6. Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1595&context=cmh
 * North American Forts - Connaught Battery
 * Wikipedia - Connaught Battery
 * Canadian Military History - Connaught Battery