The Admiralty Gunnery Establishment (AGE), originally known as Fire Control Group (ARL) and later known as the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment (ASWE), was an admiralty research department primarily responsible for Army and Navy gunfire control work between 1931 and 1959.

History

The Admiralty Gunnery Establishment (AGE) was originally formed as the Fire Control Group of the Admiralty Research Laboratory (ARL) at

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, England. The name "fire control" in Naval terminology is always applied to the control of gunfire. It was established as a separate establishment in 1943 under the control of the Director of Naval Ordnance. The AGE assumed responsibility for both Army and Navy fire control work . It remained at Teddington until 1954 when it moved to a new site on Portland Bill with new buildings and test facilities. In 1959 the Admiralty Gunnery Establishment and most of its functions were amalgamated with the

Admiralty Signals and Radar Establishment The Admiralty Signal and Radar Establishment (ASRE) originally known as the Experimental Department and later known as the Admiralty Signal Establishment (ASE) was a research organisation of the British Royal Navy established in 1917. It existed ...

(ASRE) to form the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment (ASWE) that was located at

Portsdown Hill Portsdown Hill is a long chalk ridge in Hampshire, England. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. The ridge offers good views to the south over Portsmouth, the Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, wit ...

the remaining functions were transferred to the Armament Research and Development (ARDE) based at

Fort Halstead Fort Halstead was a research site of Dstl, an executive agency of the UK Ministry of Defence. It is situated on the crest of the Kentish North Downs, overlooking the town of Sevenoaks, southeast of London. Originally constructed in 1892 as part ...

, the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills a ...

. The establishment was administered by the Superintendent Admiralty Gunnery Establishment.

Timeline

* Admiralty Research Laboratory, Fire Control Group, (1931–1943) * Admiralty Gunnery Establishment, (1943–1959) * Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment (ASWE), Portsdown, Portsmouth (1959–1984)

References

External links

{{Admiralty Department, state=collapsed Admiralty departments Admiralty during World War II Royal Navy shore establishments 1931 establishments in the United Kingdom 1959 disestablishments in the United Kingdom