Signal Hill - 6

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We were fortunate to view the final 2005 show of Signal Hill Tattoo. This historical program has won international awards. Their show includes the echo of the cannon, mortars and musket fire combined with the stirring tunes of the Fife and Drum Band reminiscent of the 19th Century British military. The show portrays the garrison life and duties of the British Infantry soldier stationed in Newfoundland Station during the mid 1800's.

The Tattoo performs on O'Flaherty Field which is one of the defense sites erected during the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713). That war resulted French troops withdrawing from Placentia and was the precursor of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), which ended forever the danger of French attack in North America.

Because of its strategic location, Signal Hill was used for defending the harbour from the 18th century through the Second World War. In 1762, the last North American battle of the Seven Years' War was on this location. Ruins of later 19th-century military buildings can still be seen. Not only does St. John's have a natural harbour, the Narrows were excellent sites for military batteries to protect the harbour. The fortification of Signal Hill began during the Napoleonic Wars.

The photo of the town of St. John's with it's clapboard row houses of the 1800s give more reason why this area was often in military conflict. Not only was the town one of the main, natural shipping harbors, it also was prime in the Grand Banks fishery.

In the 1770s, Fort Amherst was built as the first-line defense for the entrance to the narrows and harbour. The original fort no longer stands; however, you can still see the gun placements that were installed to protect the harbour from German u-boats during World War II.