The Defence of Melbourne

Casting

2009-11-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

The tools of the trade...

It's time to report in and let you know how I've been going. After a couple of false starts, I've gotten to the point of being able to cast some gun barrels. Earlier I'd gotten over ambitious and made a giant mould that included many elements. That was OK rto a point, except that when i was making it, I used baby oil as a seperation agent for the two halves of the mould. I foolishly did not realise that the warm weather had further reduced the already low-viscosity oil to the point that when i made the second pour of rubber compound, it was pushed aside by the dense, heavy, viscous liquid rubber.

Result?

One solid block of rubber with my master locked inside and ten savage minutes with a stanley knife to extract them.

Lesson learned - don't overreach when you don't know what you are doing! Use vaseline as a seperation medium!

I'm moulding the gun wheels and carriage at the moment and will do the slide over the next day and a half. More repotys as we go on.

80 Pounder - progress shot

2009-11-03T21:38:00.001-08:00

As you can see, I'm, getting close to finishing off the slide.
I've placed most of the bolt-heads which I've made from cut off pin heads. Doing the forward rollers on the carriage was - er - "fun"!
I've cut the foot plates and just need to bend up some paper clips to approximate their mounting brackets. I'll probably not cast these latter, but merely provide them with the kit.

The final task will be to construct some wheels for the slide and we'll be done.

I'm very pleased with how this project has gone. It's really captured the look and "sit" of the original and taught me some lessons that will be of a lot of use in the future.

80 Pounder RML

2009-11-02T12:27:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: Started work on the slides after I finished off the woodwork of the carriage this morning. Purely by co-incidence, the gun in the photo is about the right "scale" for 28mm figures, so guess what i'm using for a template?
Phew, ok, well it's taken a few days, but I think we are beginning to see results here. For those of you who've not been privy to various off-screen discussions, I've deciced to master a small range of off-beat artillery. This first effort is as the post title elegantly suggests, the barrel for an 80-pr RML, 25 of wich were purchased by Sir George Vernon in 1866 for fortres use in Victoria. It's been constructed much like the real thing; several layers of greenstuff have been built up over a plastic tube.

The sailor is for scale comparison. I think I've got it about right!
The carriage. All balsa, a little more work and detailing need to be added to finish it up.
I will not be assembling this to the point where I am sticking things together, as they need to be in a state where they can be broken sown for mould-making.
Dry run assembly. I will be finishing off the carriage today and hopefully making a start on the slide tonight.

The beauty of this mounting is that it can also be used unaltered with my next project, a 68-pounder sbml.

Exercising off Williamstown

2009-10-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

Albert acting as flotilla leader for the Victorian Torpedo Boats.

The TBs are practising steaming in columns of division.

Fortunately, it's a calm day in Hobson's Bay as all five boats here were notoriously unseaworthy! Albert was well-known for taking the water right over her bows in any kind of weather. The Nepean and Lonsdale being ten times as long as they were wide tended to roll about alarmingly when they dropped their Whitehead torpedoes from one side only.

Back to the slipways for you. I think we need to purchase a proper flotilla-leader. Perhaps a 1st Class boat. Childers?

I'm trying to put off my more complicated ship construction for the moment. I think I am screwing up my courage to the place where it sticks or something...

This will be the Victoria (II), the gunboat HMVS Alberts' big sister. I'm following what's now pretty much my standard method for larger ships; cut out a deck from thin balsa, glue it to a block of polystyrene and trim with a hot wire cutter. A sanding block trims up any rough bits and a fine pen draws in the planks and nails.

So far so good! Then it's card for the bulwarks and deck-houses and Bob's the relative of your choice.

Torpedo Boats - Progress shots

2009-10-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

Getting there - Nepean with her spar torpedo rigged out.

No. 1 wiith her spar torpedo in the stowed position, Nepean in the background.

Commissioner in the foreground, with Lonsdale abeam. The torpedo flotilla steams off on exercise.

Not too much left to do on the TB flotilla. Nepean and Lonsdale need their stanchions set up and railings rigged. I'll be going into town this weekend to buy a few odds and ends from the hobby shop. Some ventilators and the odd anchor to dress the boats up with. Apart fom that, a little more painting needs to be done and we'll be there.

Rapid Progress Being Made at Williamstown

2009-10-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

As you can see in the picture above (click for a larger version) the upper works for Nepean and Lonsdale are complete. I'll next be adding the torpedo tubes forward and then going on to puttying up the various gaps before painting and then adding the final details like the stanchions, ventilators and torpedo troughs.

Nearest the camera are No. 1 and further back, Commissioner. The blocks on the decks are their deck houses. I have only some very rough side elevations for commissioner and no reference for No. 1, so I am pretty well making things up as I go along. More interestingly from my own point-of-view is the rig for the spar toprpedoes that you can see in the "deployed" position on No.1 and in the stowed position on Commissioner. I'll probably install some sort of guide or brace over the bows on both boats to make sure the spar goes forward smoothly.

Williamstown Shipyard - Torpedoboat Flotilla

2009-10-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

I started work last night on my torpedoboats for a mooted Fort Gellibrand game in the near future. They are from the top Comissioner, No.1, Nepean and Lonsdale. I have photographed my original Nepean for reference - it's in it's post 1886 configuration which is fine, but I've decided to do it and it's sister in their original configuration, with no dropping gear and the bow torpedo tube.

You'll notice some torpedoes I've started making to the right of the picture.

I've test-fitted the deck-houses to the Nepean and Lonsdale and you'll note the work done on the sterns of Commissioner and No. 1.

More tomorrow.

More CanCon Pictures

2009-01-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of the very kind Mr Stephen Finlay:

Here and below, Victorian militia assigned to the fort stand to as the Russians enter the Bay. Note the gunners in the distance rushing to man their Nordenfeldt.

"Here they come..! Steady lads, steady..!" cries Sgt Bourne, his own voice cracking a little in the excitement of the moment.

Rough (!) terrain.

The only way is up. Russian Infantry really had only one practicable way to attack - one unit at a time up the tram line.

Those cliffs were the only other means buy which the Russians could assauklt into te fort. A tough proposition.

Green pants infantry on the left; gunners on the right. About to come ashore for a hellish baptism of fire.

Fort Nepean; a tough nut to crack.

Cossacks in close country.

The last of the Fortress infantry desperately trying to hold out against the Cossacks who are on the Parade Ground. HM is not amused!

The Parade Ground formed a delta, the frontage of which the infantry could match their diminishing numbers to. It was excellent defensive terrain.

CanCon 2009 - The Russians Have Arrived

2009-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

The frowning guns overlook the Russian Infantry as they gallantly row their boats for shore.

The main barracks at Nepean; the Fortress commander sips his tea on the verandah. He does not realise how difficult it will be to get substantial re-inforcemets into the fort if the Russians break in.

Cerberus with the Naval Brigade lining her decks. Their rifle fire with the many machine guns carried by the ship caused the Russians huge casualties among the crews of their deck guns during the course of the third game.

The Vladimir Monomakh steams toward her fate. She was sunk in each of the three games played, but not before absorbing the attentions of the Victorian Fortress artillery and that of the Cerberus for almost the entire game.

Russian marines and light artillery pull for shore. They did a fair job of pinning some of the Victorian militia down during game three, eventually overwhelming them - but far, far too late in the day.

By the third iteration of the Game the Russians were getting desperate; nothing seemed to be working. They decided to put their Cossacks in boats and run them ashore in the Vladimir Monomakh. It ended poorly; one unit got ashore, advanced bravely up the cliff then failed a number of morale tests and surrendered. The other unit were all shot down in their boat by artillery and machine-gun fire.

So much for that bright ideaski!

The Victorian Navy steams into action; Albert is towing two units of Victorian Militia in boats. This is a desperate ploy to bring them into action quickly before the infantry defending the fort all succumb to the tender attentions of the Russians.

Duelling Ironclads. The Cerberus and Vladimir Monomakh close, exchanging main armament fire as they go, pom-poms and Nordenfeldts raking each others' decks.

General view of the fort from the end closest the entance to the Bay. Russian Infantry would come swarming up these slopes... slowly.

The whole area counted as difficult terrain whicin TSaTF terms means that of the three movement dice your infantry throw, you loose the highest D6. Ouch.

The figures on the board are engineers hoping to act as speed-humps. They are effectively poor-quality infantry. They held up two Russian Cossack Units for almost the whole of the game.

Russian Sea-Cossacks surge past the Vladimir Monomakh. Figures by Askari Miniatures.

In the movie industry they call this a "Beauty Pass". *sigh*

Two 8" Hydro-Pneumatic (HP) guns to the right and a 9" RML in an open pit to the left. The trick was to keep the gunners at their guns; the crew of HP#2 fled in the first two games, while that of #1 fled in the third.

Steadfast Victorian Infantry lie on their guns, waiting to "Stand To" as soon as the Russian Infantry hit the beaches. The Nordenfeldt Gunners (one gun is at the right of the picture, the other is out of shot to the left) shelter in the bomb-proofs before they rush to man their guns.

Main barracks in the foreground. This building was a bit of an impediment to re-inforcing Victorian forces and I am sure the Victorian Commander was secretly overjoyed when a stray Russian shell reduced it to splinters at the start of game three!

The front of the fort as we set up. The land to the left of the building at right is impassable, forcing any troops landing at the quay to march left up the tram tracks.

Dolphins'-eye view of the Russian landing boats. The figures in the foreground are Old Glory Boxer Rebellion.

More Russians going ashore. In the first game this took a long time and the Nordenfeldts caused one of the boats quite a few casualties.

Victorian re-inforcements wait patiently to - er - reinforce. They needed to roll 1 on a d6 in turn 2, 1-2 on turn 3, 1-3 on turn 4 and so on. I consistently rolled high!

Stuff.

2008-12-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

Cerberus, the flying deck. Enough MG power to chew up a flotilla of Torpedo Boats?
A shot of Cerberus looking distinctly rakish. The old devil.

The Russian CO. And his pet bugler, Binky.

Hordes of Russian Infantry, many in the now-famous, "Hey, Istvan" pose.

Gunners of the Victorian Artillery

The Cossacks are coming! In the absemce of any real uniform information, I've more or less made the uniforms up, but they look spiffy.

Cerberus progress Pix and the Russians are Here!

2008-11-19T15:34:00.001-08:00

Some WIP Russkies; just need their metallics doing and a flag on the pole to wrap them up. Urrah!

Down by the the bows. Hm, paint-work needs touching up...

Cerberus with all her bits on; note that I've popped the flying deck on pointing the wrong way and that the bit it's sitting on is rather too wide. Oops! Out with the shears!

Overall, she's not looking too bad. Must remember to paint the wheel-house windows. Still needs the conning tower and "military" mast made. The rest (ie, additional detail) is gravy depending on how I go for time. Railings, davits, all that. There won't be ships' boats as they are a real pain to rig and I can't justify the expense of buying another six of them!

Still and all, it looks about right.

UPDATE: The deck-house is completely painted - including the windows. I've done the edging on the flying deck, and the ventilators are properly emplaced thereupon. All remaining ventilators are painted and need emplacing. I need to glue the capstan in place.

I've armour-plated the turrets (they didn't look right "smooth" and needed their surfaces broken up with big, irregular squares of card. Much better. Even more so once they've been lined in with a fine-tipped marker.

Cerberus cast ashore at Sandringham!

2008-10-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

Nepean in the foreground, the wreck of the Cerberus behind, whilst Albert steams merrily past to the rear.

Albert's gunners train their miniature 6" on the pursuing Russians, hoping to draw them away from Cerberus. Nepean contemplates a sacrificial attack.

Nepean and Albert steam boldly past the wreck of Cerberus. Note that the Cerberus' turrets need cutting down to size!

HMVS Albert Completed

2008-10-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

Victorian Navy 1887

2008-09-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

Albert ought to be finished this weekend.

Then it's the Cerberus' turn.

Albert Progress Update

2008-09-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Stern view over the aft "gun tub".
Port view showing off the newly-clad deck-house and port for the forward 8" BL.

Starboard view showing the newly added bulwark for the aft deck.

As you can see, I have spent the past few days building up the bulwarks and sides of the gun house. Construction of these upper works has been in light card that has been attached with PVA/White Glue and tacked in place with many pins as it has dried. I used 5mm balsa for the upper deck and for a corresponding piece that I attached below it at the lower deck level - this gave me a sufficient thickness of material to pin into and for the glue to grip.

The lower ull was made from a single block of 25mm polystyrene that I cut from a fruit-box with my hot wire cutter and further carved and sanded into shape. After that was done, I gave it a skim of filler to disguise the fact of it's polysturene origins! I'll need to do some more filling to hide the odd gap where the bulwarks meet the hull, too.

I have received some London War room Accessories to dress the hull up with in the form of a few ventilators. I have more on their way some time in the next couple of weeks; hatches, ladders and davits. I have also got a couple of plastc ships boats that look about the right size to hang on the sides.

On we go!

Albert - Progress Shot

2008-09-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Coming along as we can see.

I've attached the decks, stained them and scribed them in.

Model Shipyard - HMVS Albert

2008-08-28T14:44:00.001-07:00

I started work last night on the gunboat Albert. Not too much done so far beyond the basic hull being cut from a chunk of polystyrene then decked over. Ive also cut out the top of the gun-house which you can see balanced on top of a couple of match-boxes for height.

The ships horizontal dimensions are something like 1:72 whilst it's vertical dimensions are in the order of about 1:60. I have undertaken this scale compression in order to build a model that I can transport in my luggage when this ship gets transported to Canberra later on this year! The Cerberus, also under construction will probably get similar treatment - the rule of thumb that I am working to is the greater the ship size, the greater the squashing of the ship. The Torpedo boat I completed a few weeks ago is virtually a scale model, for example.

Victorian Cavalry

2008-08-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

The newly *trained* Victorian Cavalry parade before Captain Smedley, ADC to Colonel Winther.

The basing is no more than paint on the existing metal bases with a little Gale Force 9 *plug* flock; an excellent product that's probably available online, but which I bought from "Mind Games", the Melbourne gaming Mecca.

Crows Nest Position

2008-08-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

I was looking for traces of the Crow's Nest battery, a single HP position about 2000 metres west of Fort Queenscliff proper.

Sites # and #2.Walking west from Crows Nest Place, you come across two sites that are virtually next to each other, being something like 20 or so metres apart. To me they looked like the shattered remnants of either QF or Searchlight positions, having a rounded, open front and a small room off to one side. Both were of reinforced concrete and red-brick construction with substantial remnant iron and wood fittings. Site #1 has a complete chamber still standing which features a wooden doorframe that is pretty well intact. Both are smashed into slabs and chunks of concrete.

You can see the still extant wood door frame here.

Below is a shot of the interior of Site #1

Site #3 is a few red-brick and glazed terracotta pipe fragments. I noted this site as being of interest because of the use of terracotta pipe for drainage and communications purposes at other sites. It could just as easily be builders rubble though from nearby housing construction, though.

Site #4 is a seeming sub-surface structure across from number 4 The Esplanade. It is a concrete oblong, some three metres by about five, aligned so it's long axis parallels the coastline. It's about 60 cm high. Part of it has been sealed with a heavy treated pine plank to bar access to the interior. I noted many small concrete fragments all the way back to the eastern end of The Esplanade.

Blocked opening, rear of structure

Short edge of the concrete structure View up The Esplanade

Site #5 is across the road from number 10 The Esplanade. I noted some small patches of African Thorn Bush which members of the AustColWar Yahoo group have identified as a defensive feature at both the Fort Nepean and Fort Queenscliff sites. There are fair quantities of shattered concrete which are unidentifiable, but do contain substantial quantities of basalt chips. This site also has a concrete structure that appears to have a subterranean element that I did not think safe to investigate. The site is a large sandhill over 3 metres in hieght, and heavily overgrown with ti-tree scrub. The hill falls away quite sharply on it's south side with small amounts of rubble visible.

African Thorn Bush

Top of Slab
Slab Edge
Under the slab, looking left Under the slab, looking right

Site #6 is past the far west end of The Esplanade, behind a facility for underprivileged children. As with Site #5, there is some African Thorn Bush in evidence, substantial mounts of unidentifiable concrete and that could possibly be interpreted as a concrete apron or glacis.

In my opinion, Sites #4-6 are especially worth investigation. Sites 1 and 2 are probably post-Federation, but the form of their construction is not like the slab-sided ww2-era buildings that may be seen at Point Nepean, but rather more like the structures at Fort Nepean proper which mounted the various QF guns. I have not yet seen anything like them mentioned in my reading and a further literature search will be needed. If I had to make a guess, I would think they were from the 1890-1914 period.

More images as I Photoshop them into submission!

Victorian Militia

2008-08-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

Looking down the line of the Victorian Militia. The frontage of the whole batallion when it is in line is more than 80 centimetres!

The Field Artillery, awaiting gunners and if time and finances permit, limbers.

Colonel Winther and his brave ADC, young Captain Smedley.

D Company reporting in with their freshly terrained bases. Hum, now I have to go back and terrain the other 60 bases... *sigh*

Why don't you skedaddle back home for some Borscht, Ivan?

HMVS Lonsdale Colour Reference

2008-07-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

The very similar-looking Nepean and Lonsdale. Note the black hulls, white upper works and buff funnels. And the reddish forecastles.

HMVS Lonsdale WIP

2008-07-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

This is as far as I've gotten so far with the Torpedo-Boat, HMVS Lonsdale. I finally got the hull sanded down to my satisfaction and started to build the superstructure out of basa wood block, carved and sanded to shape. I'll be giving the exposed balsa a thin was of putty or plaster that I'll sand down to give a smooth finish.

Stern view of the torpedo boat showing off the armoured conning tower to good advantage.

The bow of the Lonsdale. This is something of a fudge because I really only had a diagram of one of the New Zealand TBs to hand along with a sketch from a contemporary illustrated paper to base it on. The sketch disagrees as to the layout of the boat as displayed in the NZ TB plan.

Let's say there is a certain amount of "guesstimation" going on here.

Side view. I'm pretty pleased with the low, racy lines of the torpedo boat. She looks fast. I'm tempted to stick a two-barrelled Nordenfeldt in the forward cock-pit, just for the look of it.

All I really need do now is make some torpedoes from some 5mm dowell, rig their launching gear, create some railings and then a ventillator and funnel. Oh, and stick a rudder to the stern.

Work-in-Progress: HMVS Nepean

2008-07-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

I've cut the hull ftom two laminations of 5mm balsa which then got stuck together with PVA/White glue and allowed to dry, carefully weighted.

The "step" between the two laminations was then filled with a commercial wood-filler and smoothed off with a wet finger (useful tool, that!) before leaving to dry. It still needs another 24 hours drying time to really harden up, then I'll sand it smooth with fine sand-paper and fiz up any irregulatities that I find.

HMVS Albert - Photo Feature!

2008-07-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to start building some models of the Victorian Navy; in this case the HMVS "Albert". These are pretty well the best visual references I've come up with, so off I go. I think the only thing I really am feeling the lack of is a good, scaled side elevation. I may have to cariacature her a little, which I don't mind doing, provided I can capture the character of the vessel.

A side profile of Albert. Please click on it or any of the following images for larger versions.

A Deck plan of the Queensland Gunboat HMQS "Gayundah" - a gunboat of Albert's class and layout.

Picture is of Albert in Portsmouth in 1884, prior to her leaving on her epic delivery voyage. Note that she is rigged for sail to supplement her fairly small coal bunkers.

A very interesting picture of Albert in the Alfred Graving Dock at Williamstown. obviously she is there for some fairly major work as her rear 6" BL gun has been removed altogether, giving a very clear idea of the layout of her rear deck. Note also the hatches at the rear of her deck-house. The ship in the Background is South Australia's "Protector".

A shot of Albert later in her career as a lighter - note the derrick she now sports aft.

Albert in the Graving Dock again, this time giving a good view of her bows. Note the shutters either side of her 8" BL gun-port. Without them, Albert would be a wretchedly wet ship in any kind of sea.

Albert side-by side with (and masking!) her rather elusive bigger sister, the Victoria. A good clear shot, demonstrating Alberts' side layout.

The Slavic Menace

2008-06-04T04:02:00.001-07:00

*Sigh* one blurry and one clear photo of my new Russian Colonel - the figure is by Eureka - an Austrian 1866 Mounted Officer whose shako I cut down and turned into a Field Cap. It's quite a small casting - almost *true* 25mm, but very fine.

I've just finished off my third Sword and the Flame Unit of Victorian/Imperial infantry. I'm on target to polish them off entirely over the next few weeks. I'm painting a couple more of the Victorian Cavalry at the moment, and have started work on my allotted buildings.

More updates in the near furture.

Progress Report

2008-04-24T00:25:00.001-07:00

Not my best photography, perhaps, but enough to let you all know how I'm going. I've now painted two units of infantry (that's 40 figures) plus a few extra and five cavalry.

I have another ten infantry part-painted and they ought to be done in the next few days.

Once I am through with painting them, I will relax a little and convert couple of troopers as mounted officers.

The Victorian Cavalry

2008-04-11T05:06:00.000-07:00

Depicted below are two troopers, an Officer and a Musician of the Victorian Cavalry which I have been painting as a little reward to myself after slaving over 20 infantry for a fortnight!Quite a small unit in 1887, the sixty-seven troopers of the Victorian Cavalry were nonetheless first in order of predence for the Victorian Military Forces. They were descended from the Prince of Wales' Light Horse and in time were absorbed by the Victorian Mounted Rifles. Attached to them in the field were the very similarly uniformed troopers of the Nordenfeldt battery.

These castings, like those of the Infantry are discontinued HLBS figures kindly cast up for me as a bit of a one-off. In reality they represent british Line cavalry in some version of their gala dress. As such they are not perfect for the Victorian Cavalry - for example, the Victorian Cavalry would never have worn the helmet plumes on campaign, and they would most certainly have worn rifle bandoliers. Nonetheless, they are a not unreasonable representation of the Victorian Cavalry at that time.

I gave the officer something like the dress version of the uniform to differentiate him a little from his very-similarly uniformed troopers, hence the more elaborate shabraque, and the yellow stripes on his breeches.

My visual references (see the first image in this post!) for the Victorian Cavalry are quite sparse and do not include information on what the musicians wore, so I took a little licence with the little banner on his bugle!

First Troops

2008-04-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

HLBS British Infantry in Home Service Dress.

Fairly fiddly and therefore slow to paint because of all of the white straps. I've another ten part painted who ought to be ready by the weekend. Going at this rate, my contribution of infantry will take 7-8 weeks to complete!

Long time, no post

2008-03-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

And it has been!

In the interim I have become acquainted with a small group of wargamers who intend to put on a "The Russians Are Coming" game over the Australia Day long weekend in 2009 at CanCon in Canberra.

The game will involve an entirely fictitious assault on Fort Nepean in about 1887 with, shall we say, "plausible" forces.

We'll be using largely scratch-built terrain and ships (there will be an amphibious element!), commercially available wargames figures and rules. The rules I refer to will be The Sword and the Flame, available here for Australian readers.

The figures will be a bit of a mixture, of which more in later posts. There are a few test shots I did a while back.

There is a YahooGroup where we are assembling our materials, please feel free to join up.

More as we progress.

The Crows' Nest Position

2007-06-10T23:56:00.000-07:00

Located to the west of Fort Queenscliffe was the "Crows' Nest" position. This was an emplacement for an Hydro-pneumatic gun-mount. It's not marked on any modern map that I could find, but I knew that the position had to be on high ground and about 2 km to the west of the fort.

This Chistmas past, my partner and I were cycling in the vicinity of the fort and came across a patch of overgrown sandhills on a patch of rising ground sandwiched between the water and some housing development. I was very pleased to note that exposed on the flanks of one such sandhill were some concrete fragments.

Looking at the last image, I think that it is stronly suggestive of the concreate apron which still surrounds the HP position on point Nepean at "Eagles' Nest".

My theory is that when the position became redundant it was buried - as was the case with the surviving HP mounting at Fort Nepean - and that over time it has become overgrown as can be seen today.

I wonder if the subterranean parts of the position would still be intact and just need to be cleared out?

I'd like to do a proper site survey at some stage.

Hydro-pneumatic Gun Mount at Queenscliff and Point Nepean

2007-06-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

Details of the HP Gun mount at Queenscliff, both above and below the shield.

This is a bit of a wide shot looking into the interior of the Bay. The rusty gun shield can be seen in the middle of the shot. Note the shape of the slot cut into the top to allow the passage of the gun. After it fell out of use, this gun position had the weapon removed and the the position was simply filled with what passes for soil at the Point.

The Russians are coming..!

2006-11-26T04:09:00.000-08:00

Just the first few Russian infantry that I've completed this week. Also picture
d are a few Victorians I did as test shot a while back - two infantry and an infantryman painted as a gunner.

A few discoveries

2006-11-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

I was rooting around in a cardboard box today before I went to work and what should I find but one hundred Imperial British infantry in spiky helmets that I had bought months ago from HLBS. I think that is pretty well a full battalion (and then some) in TSatF terms, so I think the project will at last get off the ground.

In the same box I also found some quite nice Russian infantry and armed sailors - obviously from the revolutionary period, but good enough for a game of toy soldiers. Especially if you leave out the Lewis Gunners and the Officer with the MP18! Although, VSF... you never know. The sculpting's a little rough, but the figures are quite appealing. I even found some nice WW1 Tommies - lovely Officers. I want some more.

I think the Russians will look very well painted up in either the white summer uniform or perhaps the white gymnastirka (tunic) with green trousers.

Wargaming related activities

2006-08-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

Just a brief note. I'll be putting up here some materials relating to wargaming the defense of Melbourne using military miniatures.

My first project will be to build some rather cariacatured representations of the Victorian Fleet, starting (naturally) with Cerberus. Images to follow.

Contact me

2005-09-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

If anyone has more information on any of the topics raised in this Blog, please contact me at mailto:bloggerator@gmail.com

The Victorian Military Forces

2005-09-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

The Victorian Military Forces existed to secure the flanks of the Colony’s fixed defences. A foe determined to ease his passage through the Heads might attempt to throw a regiment or two upon the shore with the aim of storming one of the forts thereupon emplaced. The aim of the Victorian Military Forces was to oppose any such attempt.

The Militia System
1884 was a watershed year for the armed forces of the Crown Colony of Victoria. Previously the system of manning the battalions and batteries had relied on unpaid volunteers. These men contributed themselves and their time, paid subscriptions and fines (for late attendance to parades, incorrect uniform &.c.) while their government provided arms ammunition, accoutrements and the legislative framework for their employment. Indeed, when the volunteering movement began in the Australian colonies in the mid-1850s, uniforms were found by the volunteers themselves and were quite expensive, especially for those men serving in the gorgeously-uniformed volunteer cavalry units. During the 1870s the Government began to provide uniforms as well as the arms and accoutrements in a de facto recognition of this expense.

A recruit was put through a 3-month drill course and had to pass the inspection of a Staff Officer before being accepted into the ranks. He had then to attend five full day parages, fifteen half-day parades and 24 night parades for which he was remunerated six pound, five shillings to compensate him for lost wages. He was expected to serve a term of five years.

Of itself, the Volunteer system was adequate so long as no great strains were thrown upon it. As time wore on and initial enthusiasm waned, individuals began to fall away and corps had to be amalgamated or disbanded. As new threats of war threatened, enrolments might go up, but always the longer-term trend was downward. Flagging enthusiasm and poor attendance at drills were caused by the burden of drilling before or after a long days’ work several days a week and employers who were unwilling to provide time off. Indeed, that the men would simply become bored in the longer term simply outweighed the undoubted social aspect of the manly and militaristic activity on the drill ground and at the Easter Encampment.

In 1884 the government of the Colony made a de facto recognition of this unsatisfactory state of affairs and enacted a Militia or Part-paid system whereby men were paid for their attendance at parades, encampments and manoeuvres. In return, the Government was finally able to extend the terms of the Discipline Act (1870) to the whole of their forces and not just to the Permanent forces who had formed a small core of fully-paid professionals whose job it was to pass on their knowledge to the Volunteers. Thus now the men were to be brought fully under formal discipline and Officers and NCOs were to no longer be elected.

The Field Forces – how they would have fought
The Defence Authorities of the Colony were fairly confident in their fortifications. They did fear however that an enemy might attempt to outflank them. One such scenario that was explored was the probability of en enemy making a landing in Westernport Bay and marching on Melbourne via Frankston. To this end, the Easter encampment of 1889 exercised a General Idea that deployed forces to the Mornington Peninsula by train – Langwarrin is one railway station mentioned in the plan for the 1889 encampment. The Brigade of the VMF would set up a camp in the vicinity of the station while a smaller force of a half battalion of the Infantry, a half-battery of Artillery and a section of engineers would trace out and occupy a redoubt some miles south east of Langwarrin. Sentries and patrols would be thrown forward to cover the main roads in front of the redoubt.

Cavalry patrols (possibly with the mounted guns of the Nordenfelt battery in support) would be sent far forward to contact the enemy. They would then retire, possibly harassing the enemy as they went.

The redoubt would be reinforced by troops from the camp and battle would commence as the enemy (supposedly advancing from Hastings toward Frankston) came up to this prepared position.

The use of earthworks was also envisioned for the protection of Fort Queenscliff, and as the emergency of 1884 unfolded, one was actually erected, although this author is unaware of it’s precise location.

9" Armstrong RML

2005-09-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

9” Armstrong Rifled Muzzle Loader of 12 tons on Iron, Central Pivot Mount
Range: 5029 metres
Crew: 9
Calibre: 9”
Projectile Weight: 256 lb
These guns were purchased by Sir George Vernon in 1866.
Rate of Fire was about one shot every three minutes.
Recoil was controlled by letting the gun slide up a pair of inclined metal rails. It was actually brought to rest by a system of friction plates that were set against each other by a hand-brake.
The gun fired either solid or exploding shells cast in water-cooled moulds to harden their tips for the purpose of armour penetration.

HMVS Albert

2005-09-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Being cleaned and painted in the Albert Graving Dock is the third class gunboat HMVS Albert. She had a complement of 60 all ranks. Built by the Armstrong company in 1883/4 she was unarmoured and armed with one 8” forward, one 6” aft, two 9pdrs and two 3 pdrs. She was transferred to the Department of Public Works in 1897 and sold out of service as a lighter in 1917.

The Armament of Melbournes' Forts

2005-09-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

The Crows Nest position
It covered the blind spot to the Fort towards Point Lonsdale. It was built from 1886 and mounted 1 x 8 In B.L. of 12 Tons on H.P. mounting and 1 x 6 Pr Nordenfelt Q.F. gun on a balanced pillar mounting* for close defence. Both guns were made in 1887 and so of course that is the earliest year in which they could have been emplaced. Both were there as of 1901.

Fort Queenscliff
1885 -3 x 9 In 12 Ton Armstrong Original
Construction R.M.L.'s(on Iron Traversing Platforms)
4 x 80 Pr 81 Cwt (Victorian Order,made by R.G.F.) R.M.L.'s(on Wood Traversing
Platforms)
(+ 2 x 40 Pr Armstrong 'Rifled Breech Loaders' on heavy field mountings)
1887: As above, including;
1 x 6 In B.L. of 5 Tons Armstrong (on H.P. mounting)
1 x 8 In B.L. of 12 Tons Armstrong (on H.P. mounting)
(+ 2 x 6 Pr Armstrong 'Rifled Breech Loaders' - on field mountings?, and 2 x 10 Barrelled 0.45 cal Nordenfelt mechanical machine guns)
- One variation is that one of the 80 Pr R.M.L.'s has been placed on an H.P.
mounting.
1889: 3 x 80 Pr R.M.L.'s of type above(2 on Wood Traversing Platforms, and 1 on
H.P. mounting)
2 x 6 In B.L. of 5 Tons Armstrong (on H.P. mounting)
1 x 6 In B.L. of 4 Tons Armstrong (on shielded Central Pivot Vavasseur naval
type mounting)
2 x 9.2 In B.L. 20 Tons Armstrong (1 on H.P. mounting, 1 on Central Pivot
Barbette mounting)
1 x 6 Pr Nordenfelt Q.F.
1901: 1 x 80 Pr R.M.L. still on H.P. mounting)
3 x 6 In B.L. of 5 Tons Armstrong(2 on H.P mountings, and 1 on Central Pivot Barbette
mounting)2 x 6 In B.L. of 4 Tons(on shielded Central Pivot Vavasseur naval type mounting)
2 x 9.2 In B.L. 20 Tons Armstrong(1 on H.P. mounting, 1 on Central Pivot Barbette
mounting) There were also 4x 14 Pr (3” cal) Nordenfelt Q.F. guns, apparently not 'fully' mounted, as a saluting battery, plus a 4.7 In Q.F. gun on site. This last one may have been in reserve, i.e. not emplaced. Lastly there were 1 x 2 Barrelled 1 In cal and 4 x 5 Barrelled 0.45 cal Nordenfelt machine guns available

Swan Island
1882: 2 x 9 In R.M.L.'s
1 x 80 Pr R.M.L.
1885: 5 x 80 Pr R.M.L.'s
1 x 6 In B.L. of 4 Tons was added during the year
1887: 1 x 9 In R.M.L.
4 x 80 Pr R.M.L.'s
1 x 6 In B.L. of 4 Tons
(+ positions for 2 x 'Nordenfelt machine guns' - mounted/type?)
Sometime later: 2 x 6 Pr Nordenfelt Q.F guns on Balanced Pillar mountings added
1889: 2 x 5 In B.L. of 3 Tons on H.P. mountings added
June 1890: 1 x 9 In R.M.L.
3 x 5 In B.L. of 3 Tons on H.P. mountings
1 x 80 Pr R.M.L.
2 x 6 pr Nordenfelt Q.F.
2 x 'Nordenfelt machine guns'
Later 1890: total 4 x 5 In B.L. of 3 Tons on H.P. mountings
(+ the othe gun types as for June 1890)
1901: 8 x 5 In B.L. of 3 Tons on H.P. mountings
2 x 6 Pr Nordenfelt Q.F. guns on balanced Pillar mountings
(+ 2 x 5 Barrelled 0.45 cal Nordenfelt mechanical machine guns)

Note: There were a total of 6 x 9 In of 12 Tons R.M.L.'s Armstrong Original construction in the colony. They were shifted around to different places at different times. This was the only model of the gun in Victoria. NSW and SA had different models/marks but they all stayed in their state of 'origin' before and after Federation. They were only ever mounted on Iron Dwarf Tarversing Platforms wherever they were. There were a total of 25 of the 80 Pr R.M.L.'s of the 'Victorian' type in Victoria. Like the 9” they were used in different places (handy to fill in gaps). Unless otherwise stated, they were mounted on Wood Traversing Platforms just like the older 68 Pr Smooth Bore Muzzle Loaders. (I'll get to other mountings for this gun as applicable to other batteries/forts).

There were both 2 Ton and 3 Ton versions of the 5 In B.L. guns.

The 6 In B.L. of 4 Tons Armstrong was a naval service weapon which found its way on land - mounting always is as described for Fort Queenscliff.

*The Ballanced Pillar mountings were one of those things which came about, it would seem, simply because those late Victorian engineers could do it! Just as the same types of 'big' guns (e.g. 9.2 In of 20 Tons) could be placed on a H.P. mounting as well as a Barbette mounting (which didn't require the same complexity), lighter guns had the Ballanced Pillar in addition to ordinary (barbette) mountings. I've seen diagrams for both 6 Pr and 4.7 In guns on the 'BP'. The normal pedestal for the gun sits on a steel pillar or cyclinder which allows it to be raised or lowered behind a parapet or into a pit. This can be done mechanically or hydraullically. The guns stays 'up' throughout any action, unlike the H.P.

Westernport Bay
There was nothing in the way of fixed defences.

The VMF disposed of the following field guns:

1885: 12 x 12 1/2 Pdr B.L.
6 x 12 Pdr
6 x 40 Pdr R.B.L.
1896: 19 x 12 Pdr B.L.
6 x 12 Pdr R.B.L.
6 x 6 Pdr R.B.L.
6 x 40 Pdr R.B.L.
1901: 18 x 12 1/2 Pdr B.L.
6 x 40 Pdr R.B.L.
6 x 6 Pdr R.B.L.

Port Phillip and Westernport Bays

2005-09-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

Eighty Pounder

2005-09-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

80 Pounder Rifled Muzzle Loader of 4.35 tons on Wood, Central Pivot Mount
Range: 2000 metres
Crew: 9
Calibre: 6.25”
Projectile Weight: 88.3 lb
These guns were among those purchased by Sir George Vernon in 1866.
Recoil was controlled by letting the gun run up a wooden slide.
The gun fired either solid or exploding shells cast in water-cooled moulds to harden their tips for the purpose of armour penetration.

Defending Melbourne in 1885

2005-09-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

Battle Plans – The Fortifications of Port Phillip Bay and the Victorian Navy

In this, the second article of this series, I will discuss the Victorian Navy and the fortifications of Port Phillip Bay. As we have seen in Part 1, peace may have brought plenty to the Colony, but it also bought a degree of paranoia. As a result the Victorians built an extensive system of fortifications in addition to buying themselves a Navy.

Topography
Port Phillip Bay is of very considerable extent, and opens into the dangerous waters of Bass Strait via the Rip, a complicated and fast-flowing tidal race some 3km wide.

Within Port Phillip, there are only three practical channels that take ships into the inner harbour. From the west they are; West Channel, usable to ships with a draught of less than 6 metres, which has the most direct route North into Melbourne; Symonds Channel which is usable to ships with a draught of less than 5.50 metres and; South Channel: this last could be used by ships drawing less than 7.50 metres of water.

At the very northern part of the Bay, lies Hobsons Bay. Hobsons bay is defined by the elevated peninsula of Williamstown to the west and by the low, flat salient formed by Point Ormond to the east.

Along the West coast are the towns of Warrnambool, Port Fairy (known in earlier times as Belfast) and finally Portland. These towns were all important in the coastal trade that flourished before railways were driven along the coast.

To the east of Port Phillip lies Westernport Bay. In the bay are; French Island to the north and Phillip Island to the south. The principal town on the western shore is Hastings.

The Fortifications and the Navy

Fortification – the State of the Art in 1885
A watershed moment passed in the science of fortification at the bombardment of Alexandria 1881. At this time coast defences bore a close resemblance to the ships. The guns were muzzle-loaders, arranged in long batteries like a broadside, often in two tiers. The improvement of rifled ordnance had called for increased protection, and this was found first by solid constructions of granite, and latterly by massive iron fronts; an example of this type of fortification remains today at Fort Denison in Sydney. This structure sits in the middle of the Harbour. It is of massive rock construction with a tier of guns mounted behind a stone parapet with the somewhat unique inclusion of a Martello tower at one end.

The range of guns being then relatively short, it was necessary to place forts at fairly close intervals, and where the channels to be defended could not be spanned from the shore, massive structures with two or even three tiers of guns, placed as close as on board ship and behind heavy armour, were built up from the ocean bed – again the example of Denison comes to mind, and a similar concept can be seen in the Hobsons Bay gun raft q.v. which was a 68pr mounted on a raft that would presumably be moored off Williamstown.

The bombardment of Alexandria established new applications of old principles by showing the value of concealment and dispersion in reducing the effect of the fire of the fleet. On the old system firing at an iron-fronted fort shot mainly into the brown. If they missed the gun being aimed at, then the one to the right or left was likely to be hit. At Alexandria, however, the Egyptian guns were scattered over a long line of shore, and it was soon found that with the guns and gunners available, hits could only be obtained by running in to short range and dealing with one gun at a time.

Furthermore, the Royal Engineers report submitted following an examination of the forts found that sand embankments had the ability to deflect high velocity ordnance and that sand embankments provided a level of protection far in excess of anything that contemporary military technologists could then conceive. Thus it was that the new Victorian forts found themselves with long glacis of either earth or sand.

The increasing power of defensive artillery meant then that defence installations could be smaller, better concealed and more widely dispersed than before. On the other hand, the ships, too, gained increased range and increased accuracy of fire, so that it became necessary in many cases to advance the general line of the coast defences farther from the harbour or dockyard to be defended, in order to keep the attackers out of range of the objective. In the case of Melbourne, the topography of the Bay meant that a fortuitous “choke point” was available at the entrance that was amenable to fortification while being at the same time a very great distance from the city.

The Strategy
The scheme for the defence of Melbourne was determined by the topography of the bay. Port Phillip Bay can only be entered via the Rip, a narrow stretch of dangerous water no more than 3 km wide. Strong positions were thus built at Queenscliff and Point Nepean to bring ships entering the Heads under fire.

West Channel was defended by the battery at Swan Island and a battery was constructed at Point Franklin to deny warships a safe anchorage should they manage to fight their way through South Channel.

The shallower channels would be blocked at wars’ outbreak by hulks purchased for that purpose by the Government and, if time permitted would also be mined. South Channel was to be protected by a minefield consisting (in 1885) if 56 buoyant and 96 ground mines, the latter controlled from stations at South Channel Fort and South Channel Pile Light. South Channel Fort was there to stop any enemy from approaching Melbourne by this only practicable deep-water avenue and to prevent any enemy from attacking the minefield itself.

In a memo dated December 1884, the Naval Commandant Captain A. Brodrick Thomas addressed a memo to F. Sargood, the Minister of Defence. The topic addressed was the best and quickest method for defending Port Phillip, especially the South Channel, keeping in mind that South Channel Fort was then still under construction, and did not mount any guns until the first quarter of 1885.

Concern was raised that the only portion of South Channel that could practicably be mined, was well out of range of any shore-based guns. Following from this was the logical conclusion that South Channel Fort be completed as a matter of urgency. In the meantime the Victorian Fleet would be deployed in such a manner as to defend the minefield.

Captain Thomas goes on to explain the jeopardy an enemy would be in as he passed the Heads:
“The better to explain the proposed defence of the port, I will suppose an enemy's ship attempting to enter the Heads and proceeding towards the South Channel at a speed of 13 knots, and show the difficulties she would have to encounter, allowing 3,500 yards to be the effective range of the defending guns... She should be under fire from Nepean fort for one mile, or 4m. 37s. of time. She then comes under fire of the Queenscliff battery, and gradually bearing away for the South Channel, will be under fire of both forts for 4,800 yards, or 11 minutes of time. She is then out of range of Nepean, and a quarter of a mile further off Queenscliff, and comes under fire of the proposed guns at Point Franklin and Point King, for 20 minutes.”

Fleet Deployment
Captain Thomas proposed to dispose of his naval assets thus: “The Cerberus, accompanied by the Victoria and the Albert, would attack the enemy immediately she entered the Heads, who would thus be exposed to an additional fire from four 18-ton guns, one 25-ton gun, one 12-ton gun, and one 4-ton gun, besides small guns and machine-guns. Two of the torpedo boats should accompany the Cerberus, and, under cover of the fire from the ships and forts, attack as opportunities occurred. As soon as their torpedoes were discharged, they should retire at full speed to the Nelson, which would carry spare torpedoes. The boats Batman and Fawkner were to be stationed in rear of the first minefield. The Nelson will be stationed at the east entrance of the South Channel with supplies of spare ammunition, torpedoes, &c., and will be in readiness to assist in defending the minefields. The third torpedo boat will be in reserve with the Nelson.”

Observation and firing stations for the minefields were to be built at South Channel Fort and at the South Channel Pile Light.

The defences of the South Channel made great use of mines, often called torpedoes at the time – what we would call torpedos today, military people in the 1880s would most likely call “locomotive torpedos”. The first field consisted of 42, 500lb observation mines. Observation mines were mines that sat on the sea-bed under observation from a shore station. When an enemy ship passed among them, the observers would detonate the mines.

The second field consisted of 102, 250lb observation mines. The Batman and the Fawkner would commence firing on any enemy who managed to pass the forts at the Heads, overpowering the ships there. These were auxiliary gunboats retained by the government and strengthened forward to take a single 64PR rifled muzzle-loader.

Were the enemy successful in destroying or forcing the first torpedo-field, the gunboats were to retire behind the second torpedo-field where they would act with the Nelson in its’ defence. The reserve torpedo boat and the two others, should they have survived the initial onslaught, would attack targets of opportunity.

It was recognised that the depth of water and strength of the tide at the Heads made difficult defending the entrance to the Bay with observation mines. Captain Thomas then goes on to make reference to a confidential report wherein he discusses using “mechanical mines” in difficult areas such as this as well as in some places in South Channel.

Were war suddenly declared, it was proposed that the West Channel be completely blocked by mechanical mines and other obstructions, such as hulks hat could be purchased by the government and sunk at short notice. Any attempt to destroy these obstructions would have to be undertaken under the fire of Swan Island fort. Electric lights and guard boats would be required at night. It was thought by Captain Thomas that this system of defence would free the Victorian navy and the torpedo corps to concentrate their efforts in the defence of the South Channel.

Captain Thomas further proposed that the fitting out of any small steamers as could be rounded up with spar torpedos would be a valuable addition to the gun defences the military commandant was arranging for the defence of Hobsons Bay, although he would have preferred a Whitehead torpedo boat for special service in Hobson's Bay as a valuable protection.

Should war break out, it was recommend the Government select certain suitable steamers, which, ballasted and protected would be a valuable addition to the naval forces. It was also thought the unarmoured vessels of the Victorian Navy could be easily protected with additional coal filing the compartments around the ships’ machinery.

The Fleet
In 1885 the Victorian Navy was both a fairly large and efficient force. It had a history going back to 1856 when it took delivery of the HMCS Victoria. The Victoria had a busy career, participating in the Maori Wars in New Zealand, survey and rescue as well as an attempt at relieving the Bourke and Wills Exploring Expedition. By 1882 she was hopelessly obsolete and was decommissioned and sold out of service.

The Navy had found its nucleus in the early (1871) purchase of a turreted coastal defence monitor, the HMVS Cerberus. Having made the perilous journey from the UK to Victoria, the Cerberus took up it’s post as Flagship. With her powerful armament and heavy armour she was one of the strongest units in the Southern hemisphere and an undoubted defensive asset.

Additional purchases in 1884 meant the Victorian Navy additionally disposed of two Armstrong gunboats, one first-class and two second-class Thornycroft torpedo boats. Then there was the Nelson, an old steam-driven line-of-battle ship of wooden construction. Victoria had taken possession of her from the royal Navy as a gift. It was intended she be used as a training vessel and as such she served, although the thrifty Victorians could not resist treating her as worthy of still standing in the battle line. Additionally the Victorian Navy disposed of a number of small steam launches fitted with spar torpedos and larger steamships fitted with one or more heavy guns as in Table 2 below.

The Victorian Navy 30th May, 1885
Nelson
Frigate
Two 7” RML, eighteen 64PR ML

Cerberus
Ironclad Monitor
Four 10” RML, four Nordenfelt machineguns

Victoria
3rd Class Gunboat
One 10”BL, two 13 PR, two Nordenfelt machineguns

Albert
3rd Class Gunboat
One 8”BL, one 6”BL, two 9 PR, two Nordenfelt machineguns

Childers
First-class torpedo boat
Two 15” torpedo tubes, two Nordenfelt machineguns

Nepean
Second-class torpedo boat
One 14” torpedo tube

Lonsdale
Second-class torpedo boat
One 14” torpedo tube

Miner
Inshore minelayer

Batman
Auxiliary Gunboat
One 64PR SB

Fawkner
Auxiliary Gunboat
One 64PR SB

Gannet
Auxiliary Gunboat
One 64PR SB

Spray
Spar Torpedo Boat

Commissioner
Spar Torpedo Boat

Lion
Spar Torpedo Boat

No. 1
Spar Torpedo Boat

Hercules
Despatch vessel

Pharos
Pilot Vessel

Despatch
Government Yacht

Having all these resources at their disposal, the Victorian Government needed a Field Force to counter whatever land forces a foe-man might have attempted to throw upon their shores. In the next part of out series we look at the army of the Colony of Victoria.

To War?

2005-09-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

What if the Russians Came?

Defending Melbourne in 1885

Setting the Scene
This article represents one of the “what ifs?” from history. What if war had broken out between Britain and Russia in 1885? What if a Russian force had been able to make an attempt on Melbourne either by land or by sea?

In the years before Federation in 1901, it is a relatively little-known fact that the Australian Colonies built up in some cases fairly considerable defence Forces. I will use this article to take a look at the Victorian Military Forces (VMF) and attempt to demonstrate how they intended to fight off an attacker.

In the Victorian (and more broadly, Australian) context there was by 1885 already a long-standing theme of looking toward a troubled Europe as a source of drawing Britain into wars. That the preoccupation of the Mother Country in such a hypothetical conflict could leave her widely-scattered colonies denuded of defence was often expressed as a source of alarm by the colonists.

Russia was at the centre of such a crisis in 1885. Since as long back as 1877 and even further, Britain had been increasingly concerned about Russian influence in Afghanistan. For many years this isolated and mountainous land had been regarded by Britain as a buffer between her own and Russia’s respective spheres of influence. In that year, Britain went so far as to invade that land in an attempt to oust Amir Shere Ali when they became convinced the Russians had too large a degree of influence over him. In any event the attempt failed and Ali was in turn replaced by the neutrally-minded Abdurraman.

In March 1885 Russian forces soundly defeated an Afghan force at the village of Pendjeh on the northern Afghan border.

On March 23rd the British army in India was preparing to march on the frontier. On the 25th, all British Naval commanders were telegraphed to the effect that they were to prepare all available warships for immediate commission.

In Victoria preparations were immediately put in effect to bring her Military Forces to a state of readiness.

Invasion fears and the Victorian Scene
The Victorian Colonists feared invasion in the latter half of the 19th Century:
“Since the 50s there was a degree of paranoia about the possibility of invasion; and the 80s with its unstable international situation & the widening interest of France & Germany in the Pacific caused alarm. This led to a rapid defence build-up in Victoria. Large fortified batteries were set up at Swan Island, Queenscliff, Point Nepean, and on the shoals at the entrance to the Harbour. Security was there provided the troops didn’t land along the undefended coast. The Victorian Volunteer Artillery was disbanded & replace with the Victorian Artillery Corps & the Victorian Mounted Rifles. Cadet corps were established in state schools and rifle clubs encouraged. More Batteries at Portland Port Fairy & Warrnambool were set up. 1884 saw the Victorian Navy purchase 2 gunboats and 3 torpedo boats. 2 barges on which gun platforms could be set up were established.

“It was all right to be prepared, but there was no one to fight. It was hoped that Victoria could help in February 1885 when news came from Sudan that General Gordon had been killed in the Sudan, but the offer (of two gunboats and a First Class Torpedo Boat, at the time in-transit on their delivery voyages) was rejected by Britain. By March however, people were talking about, and even hoping for, a defence against a Russian invasion. Victorians believed that if Britain were involved in an European war, Melbourne would be a prime target. When Britain and Russia came close to war over Afghanistan in 1885, fortification works at the Heads were speeded up, the channel at the heads was mined, foreign ships were not allowed to enter at night and a number of old hulks were purchased to be sunk at the Heads if necessary. A new division of the Mounted Rifles was established in the country; people armed themselves, drilled in the city streets and attended patriotic meetings. Terms arranged with Russia in May brought a sense of disappointed anticlimax. This sense of vulnerability lasted for the rest of the 1880s and started a small flood of literature setting out what would be the likely outcome of invasions by the Japanese, Russians, Chinese and others.(1)”

Possibility of Invasion
“The colony's defence forces were raised with one purpose only - protection against invasion. The question inevitably arises - was invasion ever a real possibility? This cannot be properly answered, but a memo by Major-General E. Harding Steward, dated 17 November 1884, and on a file of the Victorian Defence Department (0/2/1/1) gives an interesting but unfortunately unverified account of one such planned invasion. Obviously General Steward felt the incident to be true.

“The account states that the Russian Colonel Bodisco during his stay in Japan in 1878, married the daughter of an American lady from California. The Best Man was an officer of the Royal Marine Artillery. This officer gradually became friendly with Bodisco and with the Russian Admiral, and pieced together from their indiscretions the following information.

“Bodisco, who was possibly a Russian secret agent, arrived in Japan in 1877 at the height of the crisis between his country and Great Britain. To the Admiral of the Russian Asiatic Squadron he carried two plans, one of which (at the Admiral's choice) must be carried out immediately news of hostilities between the two countries was received by wire. As the Japanese telegraph link to Europe was through Vladivostock, the Russian admiral should obtain the information ahead of the British. The first project was to attack Hong Kong, supposed to be "in an imperfect State of defence" and then Singapore, "not at that time provided with any fixed defences". This plan was rejected, mainly because the Russian admiral calculated that he might not be sure of leaving Singapore and getting well on his way across the Pacific in time to avoid meeting the British squadron.

“The second proposal, which was chosen by the Admiral, was an attack on Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne. The five fast steam cruisers of the Russian squadron would leave Japanese ports singly, and rendezvous and call at one of the Ryukyu Islands. They would then make direct for Newcastle, shell the town, compel the port authorities to fill the bunkers of the cruisers, and seize two steam vessels and load them with coal to accompany the squadron. They would then go to Sydney, attack it, and if successful exact surrender of all the bullion in the bank. This operation was to be repeated in Melbourne, after rushing the Heads. The plan then was to circumnavigate Australia, destroying all British vessels encountered en route, to call again at Newcastle for coal, and then strike across the Pacific for San Francisco. Of course, war did not break out, and consequently the scheme was never attempted.

“Is the story authentic? It is known that a Russian squadron visited the Australian ports shortly before, diligently seeking information about each harbour. The Russian Admiral went so far as to exercise some of his officers in marine surveying in Port Phillip, and became most interested in the shoals and their possible alteration. He was also kind enough to allow the port authorities to compare his record of soundings with theirs. General Steward writes that what is not known is that in the winter of 1876, five of the Russian officers revisited Melbourne as private individuals, returning to their ships in the spring, and that Colonel Bodisco had with him while in Japan, a complete, set of Admiralty charts of the Australian ports. The Royal Marine Artillery officer, who is said to have obtained this information when friendly relations between the two countries was restored, speaks of the Russian admiral as one "who appears to have possessed the instinct of a true buccaneer" and who "became almost too frank, especially over his post prandial cups". He adds, "On one occasion he went so far as to say, Striking his thigh at the same time with considerable energy, "Fancy one, after all, missing such a chance! Six millions Sterling! Why, there would not have been such a coup since the days of the Spanish galleons!" (2)”

The Strategic Scene
The defence planners deciding how best to organise the defences of the Colony would have found themselves with the following parameters:

The attacker would be France or Russia
Of the European powers only France and Russia had the capability at this time of launching such an attack from the forces they deployed in the Far East.
The remaining independent or semi-independent, Asian Powers (Japan, China and Siam) either had not or did not intend to develop the trans-Oceanic capability needed to launch amphibious operations.
These were the only two Powers with whom the British Empire had any sense of animus against each other or where spheres of influence rubbed up against each other.

The Colony will never be attacked by more than a raiding force
The tyranny of distance means that an attacker would never be able to support a large invading army (considering the logistics of the time) that would be needed to overwhelm the local land forces (roughly a brigade of four battalions and three batteries of field artillery) and any re-enforcement the other colonies could send (especially New South Wales).
Attacking the Australian Colonies would never be more than an attack upon the prestige of the British Empire. I do not believe the Australian Colonies were a vital interest of the Empire, although the loss of the gold might hurt somewhat in the short term, I wonder if it'd make all that much of a difference in the sense of fighting a war at the time. Any Power capable of mustering the shipping and force to mount of attack would never spare so much on an attack that would never have more than a marginal effect upon the strategic scene.
No force will be able to remain for any length of time because the Australian Squadron will be beating a path toward them as fast as telegraph and fast steamer will allow.

The Attack will be upon the City of Melbourne
Apart from shooting up the coastal trade, what else is there to do? There are 6 millions in sterling in the bank, after all!
Landing a force anywhere but Melbourne means that it is stranded in largely unpopulated countryside that a European Army could not "live off" at the end of a very long logistic trail. Such a force would be very vulnerable.

In the next part of this series, I shall be looking at the fortifications of Port Phillip Bay.

Notes
1. Garden, D. “History of Victoria”, 1988 page 256.
2. Jones, C. "Australian Colonial Navies"
3. Millor, T.B. “History of the Defence Forces of the Port Phillip District and Colony of Victoria, 1836-1900”, M.A. Thesis 1957
4. Nichols, B. "The Colonial Volunteers: The Defence Forces of the Australian Colonies, 1836-1901"

Defending Melbourne

2005-09-10T02:39:00.000-07:00

This Blog is here to give me a space to put out some materials I have written over the past eighteen months on the defenses for Port Phillip Bay and Melbourne in South-Eastern Australia in the later 19th Century.