The Dawe Property World War Two Site was the location of an American gun position in the early 1940s. The property is located on Flats Road in Manuels, Conception Bay South, NL. The designation is confined to a green space which covers a concrete gun mount, a concrete step and a square concrete pillar which was once part of a lookout tower.
Formal Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land
Heritage Value
The Dawe Property World War Two Site has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of Conception Bay South due to its historic value.
The Dawe Property World War Two Site has historic value as a tangible reminder of the World War Two era in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1941, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt entered into a lend-lease program that would see the United States given leases to land within the British Empire to construct bases, while in return Britain would receive American warships. Construction of American bases in Newfoundland quickly followed, along with coastal defense positions. Circa 1941-42, several gun positions were constructed on the northeast Avalon, including the one on the Dawe Property. These gun positions were meant to defend against possible seaborne attacks.
The gun position was a half circle made from concrete and had a rail on which the trail of the gun carriage would move, enabling the gun to pivot about the concrete hub at the center of the semi-circle. A similar gun position was constructed on a neighbouring property. These gun positions were associated with Tactical Battery No. 2, which was located on Signal Hill in St. John’s and manned by the United States military. Tactical Battery No. 2 had two alternate positions, at Middle Cove (Location No. 14) and at Manuels (Location No. 18). The guns at these positions were mounted on semicircular mounts called “Panama mounts,” named for the location where they were first constructed. The purpose of the Panama mounts was to enable the gun to traverse rapidly enough and far enough to follow a moving naval target. The guns came to St. Johns on board the SS Edmund B. Alexander.
A battery commander’s station was located between the guns in Manuels. It was an elevated tower that provided a good view of the waters of Conception Bay. A square concrete pillar ran through the centre of the tower and this most likely held a Model 1910A1 azimuth instrument, an optical devise used to determine horizontal angles to a target. 3600 metres northeast of the battery, in neighbouring Topsail, was the battery primary station (Location No. 17), with optical instruments for observing and spotting the fall of shot. In Kelligrews, 4400 metres southwest of the battery, was the battery secondary station (Location No. 19). The two stations were used to triangulate the position of a target ship.
The mission of the Manuels battery was “To protect shipping in the anchorages south of Bell Island; and to support the defense against landing attack within the range of the armament.” It was noted at the time that, “The protection of shipping in the ship anchorages south of Bell Island will be ineffective against submarines without considerable cooperation by the Navy and employment by the Navy of fixed underwater defenses, such as contact mines.” Indeed, in 1942 four iron ore carriers were sunk at Bell Island by German submarines, with the loss of over 60 crew members.
Mr. Eric Dawe was in his early teens when American troops arrived at the family’s property. He recalls that on one occasion several hundred American soldiers camped out there, sleeping outdoors on cots. Army jeeps often lined the road, their windshields covered with tree limbs so as not to reflect light. The gun positions could also be hidden by a camouflage screen that was hoisted on a cable held up by posts. The guns were never fired, but if they ever needed to be, the family had been assured that they would be warned and given time to evacuate their house and open all windows, as the blow from the guns could have caused damage to their home. He also recalls that the guns were not permanently placed on the Dawe property, as they were moved between sites on the northeast Avalon.
Source: Town of Conception Bay South Regular Council Meeting Motion 08-353 September 16, 2008.
Character Defining Elements
All elements relating to the historic value of the Dawe Property World War Two Site, including:
-dimension, location and orientation of square concrete pillar;
-concrete step leading to gun position;
-all remnants of the gun position in situ, and;
-association with the American military presence in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Google map
Town of Conception Bay Website
