Inchcolm Island became a key position in the Middle Line of Defences for the Firth of Forth anchorage and Rosyth Dockyard. Most of the defences on the Island date from World War 1 but there was a smooth bore battery on the Eastern tip of the Island during the middle of the 19th Century. Unfortunately, there is limited available land on the Eastern side of the Island and successive fortifications have been built over each other, before being largely demolished and back filled. However, a considerable amount remains.
Listing Type : Defence Line
Location : Scotland
Inchcolm initially mounted eight 12-pdr 18 cwt QF guns which were in position by 1915. These were primarily to combat Motor Torpedo Boats.
By 1916 the defences had been upgraded to mount:
- Two 6-inch Mark VII BL guns on the highest point on the Eastern side
- Two 12-pdr on the Eastern end
- Four 4-inch Mark V QF guns on the slope to the front of the 6-inch Battery and
- Four 4.7-inch QF guns with a Battery Command Post on the West end of the Island.