| The SBML 42 Pounder gun was first introduced around 1720 and was used on the lower gun decks of some line-of-battle ships until about 1839. It was also used for land defence. In 1853 a request was sent to the UK requesting to fortify Sydney harbour. Twenty 32 pounder and twenty 56 pounder guns were asked for and in 1854 twenty seven 32 pounders were despatched and five 42 pounders were substituted for the heavier 56 pounders. The five 42 pounder guns were mounted in the upper battery of Dawes Battery near the present site of the southern pylon of Sydney Harbour Bridge. A further five 42 pounders had been landed by 1861 and emplaced in new emplacements at Fort Macquarie (site of the present day Sydney Opera House).
In 1904 the obsolete smooth bore guns were offered to Municipalities and Parks as display pieces. As a result of this distribution two guns were made available for placement at Coogee. These were placed on their wooden carriages in the park on the north headland. By the 1970s the wooden carriages had been replaced by sandstone and in 1985 the guns were moved to Clarke Reserve at Malabar and placed aside the War Memorial.
Manufacturer details and gun serial numbers are not visible. To identify this gun only the weight can be used and is recorded as 84-2-0. |
