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The British built 15 Guernsey loophole towers at various points along the coast of Guernsey between August 1778 and March 1779 to deter possible French attacks after France had declared itself an ally of the American rebels in the American Revolutionary War. Towards the start of the Napoleonic Wars several towers received additional reinforcement in the form of batteries at their bases. Today, 12 towers still survive, three having been destroyed at different times. Two of the survivors, Petit Bôt and Rousse, contain interpretive exhibits that the public may examine. ==History== In 1778, General Henry Seymour Conway, Governor of Jersey, recommended that 30 towers (see Jersey Round Tower) be built there to impede a possible French incursion. As it happened, almost all the towers were built after the Battle of Jersey in 1781. However, in July 1778, the British government also authorized the building of 15 towers on Guernsey.〔Grimsley (1988), pp.17-25.〕 These towers were designed to accommodate only muskets (i.e., there was no provision for artillery); though there was discussion of giving each tower a Coehorn mortar for the roof platform nothing came of this.〔 Although most of the towers were built on the Commons, or on public land above the high-water mark, three towers were to be built on private land. The States were of the opinion that the project was of such importance that if necessary they would exercise eminent domain, "...notwithstanding any Clameur de haro or any opposition whatsoever...".〔 Manning the towers was the responsibility of the Royal Guernsey Militia. This force of 4-5,000 men consisted of a field artillery regiment and four infantry regiments. Service in the militia was compulsory and unpaid. The men took turns manning the towers and other fortifications assigned to each regiment. A report of 1787 pointed out the towers' limitations.〔 As a result, at the onset of the Napoleonic Wars, and during General Sir John Doyle's tenure as Lieutenant Governor (1803-1816), a number of the towers received supporting batteries, either at their base, or nearby. Also, in 1803, the towers had their roofs strengthened and they received 12-pounder carronades as additional armament.〔 During the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II, the Germans modified some towers to their purposes, generally by replacing some of the loopholes with machine-gun slits. The Petit Bôt Tower provided one example; however, its recent restoration returned it to its pre-World War II form. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Guernsey loophole towers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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