https://youtu.be/qkBjPawqxLM
As a young child I remember stopping next to the Walmer Township, during a Sunday Drive with my parents, to browse the hundreds of ancient glass bottles for sale and then driving down Victoria Drive to stop at the Monkey Tree before hitting the Schoenmakerskop Wild Side to play in the rock pools.
At the Monkey Tree Picnic Spot one was always guaranteed to spot vervet monkeys in the massive invasive Black Wattle trees. The Black Wattle’s were originally planted to help control the shifting dunes and it was only later we realised just how thirsty these plants were. The introduction of the Working for Water Programme saw thousands upon thousands of these trees removed in an effort to help raise our water table. Along the way that project also helped reveal a hidden gem in the Schoenmakerskop Fortress Observation Post and Barracks at the foot of the massive dune overlooking the Algoa Bay Coastline.
Port Elizabeth has arguably the most complete collection of surviving coast artillery buildings and equipment dating from the Second World War of any port in South Africa.
The Schoenmakerskop Observation Post and Battery is one of six along the Algoa Bay coastline – the others being sited at Cape Reciefe, Humewood (Brookes Hill), Humewood (Group 6 Algoa Military Base), Amsterdamhoek and Bluewater Bay (on the way to Wells Estate).
The advent of the Second World War (1939-45) saw South Africa, as a member of the commonwealth, supporting England in her fight against Nazi Germany. The blockade of the Suez Canal saw enemy and friendly ships and submarines rounding the Southernmost tip of Africa on their journey to the East to fight or bring supplies.
Algoa Bay at the time had no seaward defences other than Fort Frederick built between 1799 and 1800 which guarded the original landing place of the 1820 British Settlers.
The first step towards defending Algoa Bay and the Harbour was with the establishment of a Battery Observation Post (BOP) at Humewood, south-east of the harbour. This provided temporary emplacements for the two 6-inch Mark XIX guns.
In addition to the BOP, advance warning of the approach of shipping and aircraft to the harbour was given by three Fortress Observation Posts (FOPs) which were built at Amsterdamhoek, Seahill – in the Cape Recife Reserve – and Skoenmakerskop. The FOPs were planned towards the end of 1939 and completed during 1940. Each FOP is double-storeyed with a flat roof reached by a steel ladder, with loopholed free-form parapets rising above the roof, and each was protected by a barbed wire fence or entanglement.
The FOPs at Amsterdamhoek and Skoenmakerskop were both approached by a long flight of concrete steps – 85 at the former and 70 at the latter. Each has a concrete ‘slide’ down one side, presumably to assist with the hauling up of equipment or provisions. Both slides have grooves at prominent points which appear to have been formed by ropes or hawsers.
The unique feature of these FOP’s and BOP’s is that the vegetation surrounding them gave rise to their unique structure. The FOP sites were covered with the typical Eastern Cape coastal bush. As a result, it was decided to incorporate into the designs a curvy, free-form profile of parapets, angle buttresses and ‘fins’ to break up the square, box-like shape of these buildings when seen from the sea against the background of the bush.
This curvy profile extended to the flat roofs, projecting floor slabs and even the concrete paths leading to the FOPs, so that the view of these structures from the air would be similarly disguised. In addition, the parapets around the flat roofs of the BOPs, the FOPs and the wireless station at Humewood Hill were loopholed for close defence by small arms.
A technical hut for the coastal radar and staff was built in front of the Schoenmakerskop observation post, and barracks were built down below between the dune and the road, with just the concrete floor and foundations now remaining.
These buildings are all over 60 years old and qualify for protection under the Heritage Resources Act. Unfortunately the FOP at Skoenmakerskop is more vulnerable to vandals and ‘graffiti artists’. A recent threat from development seems to have been avoided.
In July 2018 the controversial Schoenmakerskop sand-mining project was approved despite the objections of residents, which were ignored by the department of mineral resources. The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality also challenged the approval.
Giving objectors hope is the landmark ruling by the Port Elizabeth High Court on 29 August 2017 in the Lake Farm sand-mining conflict when the judge ruled that mining could only go ahead on land zoned “industrial 3”. The Schoenmakerskop sand mine site is part of erf 118, which is zoned “undetermined”, allowing only for limited housing and agriculture on council’s special consent.
And we all know how long Council takes to give consent so the FOP is safe for now.
References:
- Artillery Buildings in Algoa Bay: http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol123rt.html
- Schoenmakerskop FOP in 2013: https://portelizabethdailyphoto.blogspot.com/2013/03/schoenmakerskop-fortress.html
- Coastal Fortress Observation Posts: http://thecasualobserver.co.za/port-elizabeth-yore-town-war-world-war-ii/
- Heavy mining traffic a cause for concern for pending PE mine: https://miningnews.co.za/2017/05/22/heavy-mining-traffic-a-cause-for-concern-for-pending-pe-mine/
- Schoenies mining given go-ahead: https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-07-13-schoenies-mining-given-go-ahead/
Alan Straton
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