Signal Hill

 (1695-1945) - Signal Hill was a fortified complex, first established in 1695 at St. John's, Newfoundland for the defense of St. John's harbour. The complex was active from the Colonial era through World War II. Deactivated as a fortification in 1945.

History
A fortified complex first established in 1695 at St. John's, Newfoundland for the defense of St. John's harbour and the city itself. This complex came to include forts, batteries and signalling stations on both sides of the narrow entrance to St. John's harbor as well as those fortifications atop Signal Hill itself.

Battle of Signal Hill (15 Sep 1762)
The hill was the site of the Battle of Signal Hill on 15 Sep 1762 when British Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst led an expeditionary force to recapture St. John’s from the French.

World War II (1939-1945)
On Signal Hill in St. John's, initial American defenses included two 10" railway guns emplaced at the top and a four gun 155mm mobile gun battery, four 3" anti-aircraft guns and sixteen 50-calibre machine guns. The American facilities on Signal Hill came to include some 86 buildings with barracks and support facilities for 478 men. At the base of Signal Hill, directly protecting the narrow harbor entrance, were two 75mm guns at Chain Rock and two casemated 4.7" guns on the other side at Fort Amherst. These facilities were not manned by U.S. troops.

By the end of 1944 the American defenses on Signal Hill had been reduced by the relocation of the 10" railway guns to Red Cliff and the reduction of the 155mm battery down to, two 155mm guns, in storage, ready for deployment to one of three prepared emplacements. The two lower gun batteries remained in place.

Current Status
Part of Signal Hill National Historic Site. Period guns and mounts in place.

See Also:
 * Chain Rock Battery
 * Waldegrave Battery
 * Wallace's Battery
 * Signal Hill 8" Battery
 * Quide Vidi Battery
 * Newfoundland Fortifications
 * Harbor Defense of St. John's

Sources: .
 * Candow, James E., A Structural And Narrative History Of Queen's Battery, Manuscript Report No. 343, Parks Canada, Signal Hill National Historic Park, 1980, Pdf
 * , page 49-53, 93.
 * , page 49-53, 93.

Links: 
 * North American Forts - Signal Hill
 * Canada's Historic Places - Signal Hill
 * Newfoundland and Labrador Studies - Defence Works in the St. John's Narrows