Woodford's Battery was an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

in the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. It is located at

Europa Flats Europa Point (Spanish language, Spanish and Llanito: Punta de Europa or Punta Europa) is the southernmost point of Gibraltar. Although not the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula, Europa Point defines the boundary betwe ...

between the Defensible Barracks and the ''Officer's Barracks'' and Eliott's Battery. The battery was built before 1738 as a demi-bastion set into the old Spanish-era coastal wall, constructed by Charles V. It was originally called Five Gun Battery but its complement of guns was later expanded. It was equipped with four embrasures on the left flank, facing south-east towards Europa Point, and two on the right flank, facing north-west towards the nearby Hutment Battery. Further firing positions were provided a short distance further south by the three-gun Woodford's Left Flank battery, which together with the 1st Europa Point Right Flank battery enfiladed the ground in front of the Defensible Barracks. It was renamed after a

governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territories, British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of ...

, Field Marshal Sir

Alexander George Woodford Field Marshal Sir Alexander George Woodford, GCB, KCMG (15 June 1782 – 26 August 1870), was a British Army officer. After taking part in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland, he served in most of the battles of the Napoleonic Wars. During th ...

, who served in that role between 1836 and 1843. Nine guns had been installed in the battery by 1859 and it continued to mount a variety of guns up to 1892. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it was used to mount a defence electric light, which was removed in the late 20th century.

References

Artillery battery fortifications in Gibraltar {{fort-stub