Praed Point Battery
Encyclopedia
Praed Point Battery was a coastal defence battery at Praed Point, East New Britain
, Papua New Guinea
during World War II
. It was built in 1941, by Royal Australian Engineers
of Lark Force
, together with 'L' Coastal Defence Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery. The battery covered St. George's Channel and the approaches to Blanche Bay
. Due to the topopgraphy of Praed Point, the guns were located at different levels. The battery was commanded led by Major James Rowland Purcell Clark, equipped with two 6 inch Mk. VII naval guns, formerly from Wallace Battery, and two H.C.D. 90 cm Mk VI searchlights. The battery was destroyed on 22 January 1942 during an air raid, with the upper gun being blown off its mount and sliding down the slope knocking out the lower gun emplacement. Eleven men were killed in the attack.
East New Britain
East New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea, on the north-eastern part of the island of New Britain and it also includes the Duke of York Islands. The capital of the province is Kokopo, not far from the old capital of Rabaul, which was largely destroyed in the 1994 volcanic eruption...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was built in 1941, by Royal Australian Engineers
Royal Australian Engineers
The Royal Australian Engineers is a corps of the Australian Army . The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured and Artillery Corps...
of Lark Force
Lark Force
Lark Force was an Australian army unit formed in March 1941 during World War II for service in New Britain and New Ireland. Raised in Australia and deployed to Rabaul and Kavieng, aboard SS Katoomba, MV Neptuna and HMAT Zealandia, to defend their strategically important harbours and airfields.The...
, together with 'L' Coastal Defence Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery. The battery covered St. George's Channel and the approaches to Blanche Bay
Blanche Bay
Blanche Bay is a bay near Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after which was surveying the bay under the command of Captain Cortland Simpson in 1872.-References:...
. Due to the topopgraphy of Praed Point, the guns were located at different levels. The battery was commanded led by Major James Rowland Purcell Clark, equipped with two 6 inch Mk. VII naval guns, formerly from Wallace Battery, and two H.C.D. 90 cm Mk VI searchlights. The battery was destroyed on 22 January 1942 during an air raid, with the upper gun being blown off its mount and sliding down the slope knocking out the lower gun emplacement. Eleven men were killed in the attack.