Winnie and Pooh

Royal Marine Siege Regiment

Winnie and Pooh were Two Gigantic Guns

The previous page was: "The Royal Marines"

Convoys sailing in home waters have also cause to be grateful to the batteries along the coast. At no point has their support been more effective than that given by the great naval guns, which were mounted near Dover and manned by Royal Marines, as an answer to the long range batteries across the Straits.

After the occupation of the French coast these German batteries threatened to interfere with "Churchill's Armada," as the convoys sailing through the Straits had come to be called.

Owing to the Prime Minister's insistence that the convoys must continue to sail the English Channel.

To give them protection against the German guns, the Royal Marine Siege Regiment, at the direct insistence of Mr Churchill, began operations at the end of June 1940.

The Royal Marines

The First Huge Gun

A battleship type, was installed within six weeks, and was appropriately called Winnie, after the Prime Minister.

The second huge gun, named Pooh, by an obvious association of ideas, followed some weeks later.

These Gigantic guns, which had a "super-super" charge of cordite, never fired less than twenty-miles range. At first they were used for counter-battery work when the convoys were passing through the Straits.

Later they were employed against coastal targets in France.

Winnie and Pooh were also held in readiness for defensive purposes in the event of an invasion. They have both been heavily shelled and bombed, but without damage or serious casualties.

Winnie and Pooh were static guns, but some distance from them were other gigantic heavy naval guns on railway mountings called by such names as Peacemaker and sceneshifter; their range was approximately the same as Winnie and Pooh, and they too were manned by Royal Marines.

Royal Marine Siege Regiment

When the Royal Marine Siege Regiment was first formed the men were mainly from the Continuous Service Marines. These were gradually withdrawn for sea service as new gunners were trained.

Later all of the officers, and a great majority of the men, were drawn from those who were serving for Hostilities Only.

Royal Marines of the same category also manned the forts in the Thames Estuary and elsewhere which protects the East Coast shipping from mine laying aircraft. These forts were commissioned as H.M. Ships and were called after the sands on which they stand.

They were constructed so that they could be towed out to their required position, whereon, the base was submerged. Each fort consists of two concrete towers, fifty-feet high from the base, then connected by a steel superstructure on which the anti-aircraft guns and equipment were mounted.

Fixed to the base is a landing stage, made of steel joists. The mess decks are in the towers, with a store-room and magazine below, the ammunition being brought up by lift. The forts are connected by telephone to the shore.

All of the armament was manned

By Royal Marines under R.N.V.R officers, with naval ratings for technical duties. The guns and the equipment were supplied by the Army, and the forts were in close contact with the Royal Air Force, thus forming an interesting example of inter-service co-operation.

They have accounted for a large number of enemy aircraft. The Royal Marines also provided their own signallers

There is a little story that one rough morning soon after installation of one of the Thames forts, when the signallers were less proficient at the beginning; a destroyer was seen entering the Estuary.

A long hoist of flags went up as she approached the fort. Laboriously the Royal Marines on duty went about spelling out the unusual signal. When they had finished it read: "And how are the little Princes in the Tower this morning?"

By the time the Royal Marines Commanding Officer had received it, the destroyer was too far away for him to frame a suitable reply.

The next Link below will be: "Royal Marines Infantry Brigades"

Winnie and Pooh Royal Marines Infantry Brigades

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