At one o'clock eack weekday and Saturdays on Princes Street in Edinburgh a strange thing happens. Locals look at their watches and visitors look up and around them to see where the loud bang came from.
The reason is of course because at the Mills Mount Battery of Ediburgh castle a blank round from a L118 105mm gun has been fired.
The piece of artillery may have changed, and up until fairly recently it was a 25 pdr, but the same ritual has been going on now for 150 years.
On 7th June 1861 the idea of firing a cannon from Edinburgh Castle at exactly the same time a ball dropped from Nelson's Tower on Calton Hill, as a time signal for ships in the Firth of Forth, was first put into practice.
Even though the original purpose may have been overtaken by technological advances the firing is still going strong all these years later. The current District Gunner, who is responsible for firing the gun, is Sergeant Jamie Shannon
The reason is of course because at the Mills Mount Battery of Ediburgh castle a blank round from a L118 105mm gun has been fired.
The piece of artillery may have changed, and up until fairly recently it was a 25 pdr, but the same ritual has been going on now for 150 years.
On 7th June 1861 the idea of firing a cannon from Edinburgh Castle at exactly the same time a ball dropped from Nelson's Tower on Calton Hill, as a time signal for ships in the Firth of Forth, was first put into practice.
Even though the original purpose may have been overtaken by technological advances the firing is still going strong all these years later. The current District Gunner, who is responsible for firing the gun, is Sergeant Jamie Shannon
No comments:
Post a Comment