The big gun of Mosman

A couple of days ago we met our friends Alana, Sean and young Luca at a cafe on a headland above Mosman.  It's an amazing park with an amazing view. 

Set on a site which was once an artillery emplacement used to protect Sydney and its harbour it has been refurbished to provide studios for artists and a setting for a sculpture park.

As a homage to the site's military past there is also a preserved inoperable 6-inch Mark VII coastal gun on display.  According to historical surveys, the two World War II era Mark VII guns were moved from this site to South Head so this one must have been retrieved for dramatic effect.

In this picture at left we see the 6-inch Mark VII gun which was manufactured by the venerable British armourer Vickers.  The "6-inch" statistic relates to the internal diameter of the gun barrel, and hence the external diameter of the projectile shell.  The shell weighed around 100 pounds (48 kg) and the range was about 15 kilometres.

This photograph above gives a better idea of the gun's tactical field of fire, although this was not the exact position of the gun emplacement.  Sydney heads, the entrance to Sydney Harbour can be seen in the distance, North head at left, South Head at right.

Edward has seen the big gun before, but it still acted like a magnet to him.  Not so much because he has an interest in things military like his Dad, but because it is just so big.  And because it now has a fence around it - just making it so much more attractive to a young boy.

Ed also took some time out from military history to give vent to his artistic side and appreciate some sculpture.  Not so much from the aesthetic aspect as the athletic.