St. John's — Harbour, Fire & Signal Hill
Queen's Battery
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
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Transcript
Signal Hill's batteries defended the entrance to St. John's harbour for generations.
Queen's Battery was constructed in the late eighteenth century and later modified as military technology changed.
The guns faced the Narrows because an enemy ship entering the harbour would have little room to manoeuvre.
Signal Hill also played a role in the final stages of the Seven Years' War in North America. In 1762 British forces retook St. John's from the French after fighting on the heights.
Parks Canada describes the Battle of Signal Hill as the last battle of the North American theatre of that global war.
The phrase “last battle” is useful only with that geographic qualification; the wider Seven Years' War continued until 1763.
From the battery, strategy becomes obvious. Elevation plus a narrow harbour entrance is an artillery officer's dream.