Fort Glanville Conservation Park

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Fort Glanville Conservation Park is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia located in Semaphore Park, a seaside suburb of Adelaide consisting of a functional 19th century fort listed on the South Australian Heritage Register and some adjoining land used as a caravan park. The fort was built after more than 40 years of indecision over the defence of South Australia. It was the first colonial fortification in the state and is considered one of the best preserved and most functional in Australia. Fort Glanville was designed by Governor Major General Sir William Jervois and Lieutenant Colonel Peter Scratchley, both important figures in early Australian colonial defence. When built it was designed to defend both Semaphore's anchorage and shipping entering the Port River from naval attack. Construction of the fort began in 1878. It was officially opened in October 1880 and completed by 1882. Due to changes in the Port River and shipping movements, Fort Largs surpassed it for strategic importance in 1890. By the close of the 19th century, the fort was largely unused and had no defence significance. It was briefly used for military purposes during World War I and...

See also: Colonial forces of Australia § South Australia (1836), and Jervois-Scratchley reports In the early years of colonial South Australia, the colonists saw themselves as part of the British Empire and external defence as an Imperial responsibility. Communication lines were long and the empire's wars remote. Great Britain had undisputed military predominance and she was expected by all to protect her colonies, even one as distant. For local defence, Governor Gawler raised the first military force in 1840, composed solely of volunteers and known as the South Australian Volunteer Militia Brigade. It was granted the "Royal" title in 1841 but the brigade had all but ceased to exist a year later. The colony obtained its first artillery in 1847 with the arrival of six field guns of various types.

Tensions between Britain and the Russian Empire in the 1850s, as starkly demonstrated by the Crimean War, along with Australia-wide moves towards self-government caused a reassessment of the colony's defence posture. The various colonies regarded themselves as possible targets for the Russian Pacific Fleet, then based in Siberia. In 1854, Governor Henry Young appointed a commission under Boyle Travers Finniss to report on the defence of the colony, in case of war. Boyle's report recommended leaving strategic defence in the hands of the Imperial Navy, though South Australia was to purchase a 400-ton naval vessel. Local defence was to be largely handled by the existing small Imperial garrison and local colonial force, supported by the artillery obtained in 1847.

When the Crimean War ended in 1856, the danger passed and the perceived need for expensive defence preparations with it. For many years nothing substantive came about from debate on defence of the colony. Over time there formed a consensus favouring Semaphore for fixed defences or fortification; a strategy also argued by the government established Hart Commission in 1858. Raiders were seen as unlikely to force the shallows of the Port River but instead were expected to stand off Semaphore, shell the port and use their guns to support landings. The Hart Report recommended building of martello towers at Semaphore and Glenelg, the first report to recommend permanent fortification at Semaphore, though none were built mainly due to the cost.

The volunteer military force was revived in 1859, with new and modern arms for the infantry, cavalry and artillery. Though there was a few years of enthusiasm and a restructuring in 1866, by 1870 the force was virtually disbanded. In that year also, British troops were withdrawn from the other Australian colonies; none were by then stationed in South Australia. With no definitive defence policy, in 1864 the government had sought advice from Captain Parkin of HMS Falcon and Commodore Sir William Wiseman commander of the Australian station; both visiting British naval officers. They both recommended fixed fortifications for the coast supported by gunboats. Sir Wiseman's report particularly recommended construction of forts at Semaphore, Port Creek's entrance and one midway between.

In 1864, a story circulated, supported by press speculation, that there was a danger of the Russian fleet attacking Melbourne should Russia and Britain find themselves at war. The South Australian Register produced an editorial decrying the states lack of defences. Within days £20,000 ( A$ 4.14 million in 2005) was provided by the government for defence, an amount then seen as insufficient for significant preparation. The danger passed without any lasting defence action except the government's in-principle adoption of Sir Wiseman's recommendations. To curtail costs only the Semaphore fort was to be built initially, as it was considered the most critical. Site preparation begun and two 9-inch (230 mm) guns were purchased, but escalating cost estimates caused the plan to be abandoned by 1868.

During the early 1870s South Australia's defence was solely dependent on the volunteer military, and a few artillery pieces purchased during earlier war scares. British troops had been withdrawn from the Australian colonies in 1870, leaving the state dependent on its own military resources. In a report to the government in 1866, Colonel Freeling and Major Peter Scratchley recommended establishment of a permanent military force. In 1876 the South Australian government, along with those from New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland requested from the War Office that Major General Sir William Jervois, a noted coastal fortification expert, be appointed to advise on defence needs. He arrived in Sydney in mid-1877 with then Lieutenant Colonel Scratchley.

The 1877 report, delivered after he became South Australian Governor, called for three batteries, at Largs Bay, Semaphore and Glenelg, connected by a military road and supported by field gun emplacements, naval elements and mobile forces. He determined that South Australia's most probable defence risk was an attack by up to two ships rather than a larger force, and this formed the basis of the final fortification design. His report called for Military Road to be extended to Marino, an electro-contact torpedo station be established on Torrens Island and that a gun boat be provided. In November 1878 the government passed the Military Forces Act, which provided for the raising of a permanent military force and reserve. Two volunteer reserve rifle companies were formed in 1878 and a permanent artillery unit in 1882.

At this time Semaphore, with its jetty built in 1860, was the state's main entry point for passengers and mail. It had a signal station (built 1872) and a time ball tower (built 1875). Semaphore remained of great maritime significance for the state until the 1880s. When the decision was made to build the fort, in 1878, the state's population had reached approximately 250,000. Settlement extended beyond Port Augusta, though Adelaide remained the dominant feature in the economy partly due to the layout of the rail network. At this point Adelaide had a population of over 30,000. Port Adelaide was the main port for South Australia, with over 1,000 ships visiting each year, and a local population of over 2,500.

Scratchley had inspected the proposed South Australian fort sites, and Jervois and Scratchley were both responsible for the final fort design and location. The first fort was erected to guard both the entrance to Port Adelaide and the anchorage at Semaphore. It was built on sandhills near Glanville Hall at Semaphore, on a promontory called "Point Malcom"—a name that is now used for an adjacent reserve. The site was chosen so as to best guard shipping sailing to both the Port River and the Outer Harbour; and a second northern fort was to protect the entrance to Port River itself. At the time of its construction it was seen as a defence against foreign threats, mainly Russian.

Scratchley offered to design the battery. The offer was accepted by Cabinet in January 1878, and he was primarily responsible for the design of both Fort Glanville and Fort Largs. The plans were drawn by Alexander Bain Moncrieff of the South Australian Engineer-in-Chief's Department, supervised by Scratchley in his Melbourne headquarters. Moncrieff, at Scratchley's suggestion, was later to supervise the fort's construction. Plans for both batteries were completed in June 1878, tenders called for in July and the contract for Fort Glanville awarded in August to John Robb of Kapunda, South Australia for the sum of £15,893 12s 7d.

Construction began in 1878 and though completed by 1882 the fort was operational in 1880. Changes were made to the design during construction. Some forced by armament changes and others made to ensure additional security, including a rear-defence wall and connecting road from Military Road. By January 1880 two guns were in place and the fort opened later the same year with an extensive opening ceremony on 2 October. In addition to parades, a small target was moored 3,500 yards (3,200 m) offshore and fired on by all guns. A total of sixteen shots was fired during which one of the ten inch guns proved faulty. Only one ranging shot was fired and the shots were estimated to land from on-target to 350 yards short. The fort's final cost was approximately £36,000 (A$7.05 million in 2005) consisting of £23,600 for physical structures and the remainder for armament and fittings. At the time of its construction it was at the forefront of such fortification design, and was considered state of the art.

When first conceived, it was known as the Semaphore Battery, later changed to South Battery and then Fort Glanville by the opening ceremony. The name Glanville came from nearby Glanville Hall, residence of John Hart (1809–1873) thrice Premier of South Australia. Hart had named the house after his mother's maiden name (Mary Glanville).

For the eighteen months after its opening, the fort was manned by B company of the South Australian Volunteer Artillery but only on weekends. This changed in mid-1882 when South Australia's first permanent military force was formed. The fort became the headquarters for the South Australian Permanent Military Force, then the state's entire standing army of one officer and eighteen other ranks. Some of the unit was stationed at nearby Fort Largs from 1886; and, by 1889 the unit had grown to one officer and 45 other ranks. This force grew to 53 of all ranks by 1892 and was by then known as the Permanent Artillery. The unit trained 27 more non-commissioned officers and men who were sent to man the King George Sound batteries near Albany, Western Australia. Though some of the gunners served in the Second Boer War, the unit itself never saw action. Fort Glanville's section was called out in 1890, marching to assist the police with a waterside worker's strike in Port Adelaide. In this case no shots were fired and the strikers did not confront the police or troops. Additional defence acts were passed in 1886, 1890 and 1895 but, until defence passed into federal hands after 1901, the state's permanent military force was composed solely of artillery. Shortly after the federation of Australia, a regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA) was formed and what had been the Permanent Artillery became No.10 company RAA. The fort was manned to an extent during World War I, with one non-commissioned officer and 11 gunners stationed as of November 1914. Military reports and orders show the fort manned to at least mid-1918, though at this point it is doubtful if the guns were fit to engage targets.

There is little in the way of surviving personnel records from the fort's active time. They may have either been destroyed or transferred to Melbourne after federation. The fort's record book shows it manned by a section of either the Royal Australian Artillery or B Company of the militia garrison artillery. For the time covered by the book, strength varied from 56 to 108 men of all ranks. Two figures who served at the fort are remembered for their impact outside its operation:

- Battery Sergeant Major Charles Moritz, who initially joined the volunteer artillery and was the Permanent Artillery's first recruit.

- Joseph Maria Gordon (1856–1929), the fort's first commander and later military commandant for South Australia. Gordon retired in 1914 as Chief of the General Staff, Australian Military Forces.

The fort is designed as a defensible battery, rather than a defensive strongpoint. The faces of the fort join to form a half-moon shape or lunette. The guns' primary role was to defend Port Adelaide and the Semaphore anchorage rather than the fort itself, and the design reflects this. It was intended to be supported by field artillery, cavalry and infantry for self-defence and to repel landings. While the fort retains its original form, the ditch and glacis (embankment) have been modified and are largely non-existent in some areas. Ground levels have been changed to accommodate paths and a caravan park, and the original western fence no longer exists.

The entrance road was constructed from Military Road to the fort's rear gates. Its path is largely followed by the modern Queen Elizabeth II walk, though the former road was slightly to the south. This walk links the conservation park's visitor centre to the fort gates; some of the old road can still be seen close to the gates. What was the muster ground is partly taken up by the caravan and camping park and a car park. It was levelled and filled in the 1950s for this use. What remains of this ground, north of the caravan park, was returned to its 1880s profile in 1993 funded by a federal government grant. In the 19th century, the muster ground was used for training of the Volunteer Military Force including artillery, who camped on the site. As designed the fort's rear was protected with a wooden palisade or stockade. In 1881 a masonry wall was added, greatly strengthening defence. Most of the stockade was reconstructed in the 1970s; some of the original wooden structure is visible in the fort's north.

The main defensive structure is a revetted lunette shaped earthwork. It has a 15-metre (49 ft) thick rampart with 1.5 m (5 ft) of concrete and 0.6 m (2 ft) of brick forming a retaining wall for the earth fill. The rampart is covered by natural vegetation and, in both the 19th and 21st century operation, is closed to access to preserve this. The glacis gives extra protection to the fort and was designed to blend the fort into the landscape. It surrounded the fort on the north, south and seaward sides and was made by forming the surrounding sandhills. The side facing the fort—the scarp —is steep and, with the front face of the rampart, forms a 12 ft (3.7 m) wide ditch that can be raked by rifle fire from the caponier or the stockade's sides. The outer face is a gentle slope and is designed to be covered by case shot fired from the fort's 64-pounder guns. The southern glacis section was removed during sand mining and construction of the caravan park, both after World War II. The western glacis is changed, but still visible, and the northern glacis was recreated in 1993—showcasing the purpose of the glacis and the function of the caponier.