Shorncliffe Redoubt

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For other uses, see SRPS.

Map of Shorncliffe Camp - 1801.

Shorncliffe Redoubt is a British Napoleonic earthworks fort of great historic importance, as it is the birth place of modern light infantry tactics. The site is approximately 300 feet by 300 feet and is situated on the Kentish Coast in Sandgate, Kent at grid reference TR206351.

The site is currently under threat of redevelopment and there is a concerted effort to prevent this by the Shorncliffe Redoubt Preservation Society (SRPS).

1 History
2 Construction Of The Redoubt
3 Shorncliffe Redoubt Today
4 Shorncliffe Redoubt In Popular Culture
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

95th Rifles Reenactors Firing Whilst Kneeling And In The Plunkett Position

In 1793, the French revolution reached climax when the Revolutionary Government issued orders to execute King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Two weeks later, on 1st February, the French republic declared war on its oldest of enemies the British, and for the next decade Great Britain braced itself for invasion.

At this point British land based defenses were woefully inadequate to defend against an invasion, being that Great Britain traditionally relied on the Royal Navy for its defense. To this end in 1794 British Parliament purchased a large piece of land at Shorncliffe. This was the obvious place for initial fortifications to be built as it was just 20 miles away from the French coast, so close in-fact that the locals could see the smoke from the camp fires of the Napoleon's waiting Army.^[1] Later further defenses were added to the Kent Coast including the 28 mile long Royal Military Canal (where building started in October 1804 and finished in June 1805) which stretches from Cliffend to Seabrook.^[2] Also the Martello Towers (Built Between 1805–1808) were constructed to bolster the defenses.^[3]

The Redoubt was designed by Colonel William Twiss, a military engineer. Once built, the site became home to the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot, 52nd (Oxfordshire) Light Infantry Regiment and the 95th Rifles and the light infantry brigades who were trained by Sir John Moore when he was stationed there in 1802.

The units stationed here during the Napoleonic wars greatly affected military history form this point onward. The light infantry trained at Shorncliffe were a new breed of soldier more akin to the soldiers of the modern British Army than their contemporaries. Using the "Shorncliffe Method" , the soldiers were taught to think for themselves and act on initiative, a high proportion of them were literate, which was unusual for the time. Moreover, in an age when many officers received no training, the light infantry officers drilled with the men. Their battlefield tactics were the embryonic emergence of current military maneuvers. Often fighting in skirmish formation ahead of the British main battle line. All this was taught to the soldiers at Shorncliffe Redoubt.

Later in the Victorian era the Redoubt was converted in to a dwelling for the Camp commandant. Many of the bricks used in the construction of the house were reused from the original Redoubt building.

[edit] Construction Of The Redoubt

Diagrams Showing The Difference Of Earthwork Wall Construction.

There have been many different maps of the Redoubt through the ages. This is because the site has been re-shaped and redesigned for different functions and changing military tactics. The one aspect that has always remained the same is the earthwork outer walls. The only slight change they had was on the seaward side during the Victorian era where the wall was lowered so that the Commandant and his wife could look out to sea.

The method of construction of the earthwork walls was totally different from earlier earthworks. In earlier walls the earth was merely dug out and piled so that the wall would be formed (Figure 1). This would lead to the top soil being at the bottom and the stonier substrate being at the top. This method of constriction was perfect for previous periods before the wide spread use of cannon. The design of the Shorncliffe walls was different because it showed careful fore-thought and engineering (Figure 2). The turfs were taken off and put to one side then the top soil is dug up and placed to one side also. The stony substrate was then used to create the core of the wall then a layer of top soil was placed over and compacted. Then a further layer of stony substrate is added with another layer of top soil to cover it. It is surmised that the Turfs were then placed at the bottom of the mound. This was to create extra stability and to promote growth of the grass for protection from the elements. This method of construction leads to a wall with strong foundations with more strength to withstand (to an extent) bombardment of cannon balls longer than previous earthwork walls could.

The defense ditches dug around the redoubt were about 5 meters deep. Place on top of this the Earthen Ramparts this would have made attacking the Redoubt very difficult indeed.

On some maps heavily fortified magazines were drawn in, but archeological digs have failed to find these. It turns out that the maps were more guide lines for the construction of a much larger Star Fort which was never built due to the change of infantry tactics that was brought forward by Colonel Coote Manningham and Sir John Moore.

[edit] Shorncliffe Redoubt Today

Aerial photograph of Shorncliffe.

From its creation, barracks have always been present and remain so today (now called Sir John Moore Barracks), and currently the Ghurkhas are stationed there ^[4]. Unfortunately the redoubt itself has fallen into a state of disrepair.

[edit] The Shorncliffe Redoubt Preservation Society

The SRPS is a group of volunteers with a keen historical interest. They want to preserve the site from destruction by housing developers.^[5] It was founded by Chris Shaw and Michael George in March 2005.

[edit] Aims Of The SRPS

The Shorncliffe Redoubt Preservation Societies aims are as follows:-

Firstly, the society wants to have a plaque erected on the site to mark Sir John Moore, the 95th and the birth place of modern British army training and tactics.

Secondly, to restore as much of the Redoubt and the nearby surrounding area, to create a permanent home the 95th Rifles reenactment unit.

Thirdly, is to develop this site into an International Living History and education site dedicated to the Riflemen both British and Commonwealth, from 1800 to the present day that trained, lived and died within and around the Redoubt over the last 200 years.

[edit] Current Status Of The SRPS

The cause has had a recent boost due to a Time Team dig. It was shown on the 11th February 2007.

Recently The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duke of Kent have expressed their interest in the project.

The Defence Estates and English Heritage will be excavating the Redoubt in the Summer 2007.

The campaign continues.

[edit] Shorncliffe Redoubt In Popular Culture

Al Johnson made a recording of The Shorncliffe Camp Song which was originally sung by the recruits at Shorncliffe during World War I. It was called Down in Shorncliffe Camp and sung to the tune of “Back Home in Tennessee” written by W.M. Jerome & Walter Donaldson, 1915.

Shorncliffe is also mentioned several times in the Sharpe novels of Bernard Cornwell as it was the base of the 95th Regiment of Foot to which fictional soldier Richard Sharpe belonged.

On the 11th of February the popular Channel 4 archaeology program Time Team released a program about a dig conducted on the site a year earlier called 'Sharpe's Redoubt'.^[6].