Practice firing, 30th November, 1909.
BIG GUN PRACTICE.
SHATTERING OF GLASS IN BUSINESS PREMISES, COUNCIL SCHOOLS, AND PRIVATE RESIDENCES.
DAMAGE TO CEILINGS.
'The long-talked of and greatly-to-be-feared practice with the 9.2-inch breech-loading guns on the Ravelin Battery took place on Tuesday, and resulted in serious damage in the way of breakage of panes of glass, while the concussion was so serious that several ceilings fell.
The practice was to have been made on Monday, Royal Garrison Artillery buglers being sent through the town at 1 p.m. to sound the "commence firing" as a warning to residents to open their windows. Most people in the line of fire adopted this precautionary measure, and we have heard of at least one resident who took the advice given by a resident of Paris in a letter to Mr. J. Copland, J.P. and placed brown paper outside his business premises. The shock, however, was not felt in the portion of the district in which he resided.
When the guns were first tested some three years ago there was a considerable fracture of glass in the Mile Town Council Schools, and to prevent the risk of injury to chilidren by falling glass, etc, arrangements had been made for them to go to the Recreation Ground for play at the time fixed for the practice. Accordingly at 2 p.m., the time fixed for starting, Mr. J. Auty and Mr. G. Thwaites, the respective head-masters, marched the boys out of school. Soon afterwards rain began to descend heavily, and obscured the targets, which were about four miles seaward. At half-past two, as there was no sign of practice commencing, although the guns were still manned, and rain was still falling heavily, the head-teachers decided to send the children to their homes-a very wise course under the circumstances, as it would not have been safe-that was shown when the practice did take place, to have kept them inside the building. Moreover, with firing still uncertain, there was no chance of getting in the two hours instruction necessary to make an attendance according to the Board of Education rules. As a matter of fact, it was not until nearly 3.30 p.m. that the authorities decided to abandon the practice, through not being able to get a safe range, until the following day. R.G.A. buglers were sent into the principal streets to sound the "cease firing," which, however, had not been commenced.
At eleven o'clock on Tuesday morning the buglers again made their appearance to sound the "commence firing" for twelve o'clock. The weather was fine at noon, but there was a little mist seaward, the targets towed at a distance of upwards of seven thousand yards away, in a line with Minster, being scarcely visible to the naked eye. Most residents again took precautions to open their windows, and not a few found their way towards the esplanades to watch the practice. The military decided to point the guns so as to bring them to bear on the comparatively shallow waters off Sheppey Cliffs, outside the line of traffic, pinnaces being sent out to keep vessels from entering the firing zone.
It was not until a quarter to one that the first gun was fired, and the effects of the concussion, notwithstanding that the wind was blowing seaward, were severely felt in Mile Town and Marine Town. The gun nearest the Recreation Ground was fired first, and those who had not heard the buglers could have had no doubt that the practice had been commenced. Houses were shaken to their foundations, and some panes of glass went with the first discharge. Altogether five rounds were fired with each gun, and most of the damage was caused by the gun nearest the Recreation Ground. The direction of the waves of concussion was remarkable. Between the Railway Hotel-two large plate-glass window-panes in the billiard room of which were shattered-and the Co-operative Society's drapery stores,there was no damage on that side of the road, but on the opposite side Messrs. Pocock's premises had caught the "draught", a large plate-glass window in Beach Street and one in the High Street portion of their premises being fractured. Mr. F. H. Losel was one of the earliest sufferers, the firing of the first shot breaking some glass. Altogether Mr. Losel had nearly twenty windows broken in his roof and at the side of his premises, while internal damage was also inflicted, the ceilings falling. Nor did his troubles end there, as when the heavy rain on the following day came down the premises were nearly swamped.
The houses in Beach Terrace received the full effects of the concussion, and we understand that five ceilings were dislodged on that side of Beach Street, and two in the houses on the opposite side, besides which window-panes were broken, and to quote the words of Councillor Sugden, glass in picture frames was broken and flower pots knocked down.
The large window on the right-hand side of the entrance to the drapery stores of the Sheerness Co-operative Society's premises was cracked at the third discharge, and later discharges caused large pieces of thick glass to fall. The window panes seemed to fairly quiver with the effects of the concussion. Mr. C Highley, jeweller, had the upper portion of his window glass cracked, but otherwise escaped damage.
The Council Schools at Mile Town were in the line of concussion, and a number of panes of glass were broken both in the Senior boy's School and the Infants School, the junior Boy's School apparently escaping. The damage to the school windows thoroughly justified the action taken by the head-teachers on the previous day, for with glass shattering it would not have been safe for the scholars to have remained in their places. One or two windows in Sea View Terrace were broken, and some slight damage was done internally, but nothing serious. A window in the Broadway Council School was also broken, so that altogether the practice has resulted in plenty of work for the glaziers.
The practice was watched from the sea-front by a large number of residents, and the din of cannon was simply dreadful when the guns were discharged. The firing, we should think, was classed as good, some of the shots being splendidly placed, falling just in front of the targets. It was estimated by a Royal Artillery expert watching the practice that when the shots struck the sea a column of water nearly 300 feet was thrown up. The practice ceased at a quarter to two, and there was general relief throughout Mile Town and Marine Town when the last gun was fired. To say that great excitement prevailed during the practice amongst many residents is to put the matter very mildly, in many cases excitement was mingled with fear for the safety of their property.
The Esplanade was kept clear of the public between the gate at the Lower end and the observation station opposite the Royal Hotel.
The guns were fired by electricity, and the red flag run up at the staff on the battery indicated when a gun was to discharge.
The scholars were not admitted to the Mile Town schools until the "cease firing" had been sounded. The tradesmen whose plate-glass windows had been demolished were soon busy clearing their shop fronts of the debris, and later in the afternoon carpenters made their appearance and boarded up the broken windows.
It is said there is no compensation for those who have suffered, and this seems very hard, for certainly actual and visual damage should be paid for.'
Sheerness Times, Saturday, 4th December 1909.
