WWII Buildings, Oliver Hill Battery and Signal Ridge, Wadjemup/Rottnest Island

Parent Place or Precinct

03650 Wadjemup/Rottnest Island

Child Places

• 09146 Battery Observation Post & Timber Signal Station
• 27033 WRANS House, Wadjemup/ Rottnest Island

Values

The place was a site of strategic importance in Australia's coastal defences during World War II, and is representative of the military defence initiatives considered necessary to adequately defend the Port of Fremantle leading up to and during the War;

The place is representative of the breech-loading gun batteries established to protect strategic defence positions during World War II in Commonwealth countries. As part of the Rottnest Fortress, World War II Buildings, Oliver Hill Battery and Signal Ridge, Wadjemup/Rottnest Island is representative of places commandeered by the military during wartime and adapted for the purposes of national defence and was an integral component of the network of Fremantle Fortress coastal defence batteries developed to protect the Port of Fremantle and Western Australia during World War II;

The place is a discontiguous precinct comprising intact and understandable remnants of the Fremantle Fortress, demonstrating distinctive method of coastal defence that is no longer relevant in the age of modern warfare. The two 9.2 inch guns at Oliver Hill, manufactured in 1901 and 1902, are the last of this type remaining in position in Australia, and the place is one of only five locations in the world where 9.2 inch guns remain in position. The Battery Observation Post and Signal Station at Signal Ridge are rare remnants of a combined observation and fire command post and a Port War Signal Station in Australia;

The place comprises two prominent landmarks within the natural landscape of Wadjemup/ Rottnest Island. The functional requirements for elevated and panoramic views from both Oliver Hill and Signal Ridge necessitated the situation of Oliver Hill Battery, Signal Station and Battery Observation Post amid the highest points of Wadjemup/Rottnest Island.The two H1 and H2 9.2 inch guns at Oliver Hill are significant landmarks;

The place displays considerable technical accomplishment, and remains an engineering feat due to its large size and inaccessible location. The transportation of equipment from the harbour to Oliver Hill and Signal Ridge, the construction of the facilities, and the successful installation of highprecision artillery equipment demonstrates a considerable technical innovation at the time;

The place has scientific value in its potential for demonstrating the complexity of a military defence establishment and the range of technology and military specialities necessary to adequately carry out the artillery defence role, as well as contributing information and archaeological material leading to a wider understanding of the military history of the place, Wadjemup/ Rottnest Island and Western Australia;

The site is highly valued by the community of war veterans, engineers and the broader community because of its major role in the defence of Western Australia and because of the men and women who worked there as evidenced by the continuing support for its preservation by the existing service and retired military associations and the community at large; and
as the World War II workplace of the members of the Australian Women's Army Service, who operated the plotting rooms at Oliver Hill Battery, and the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service who operated the Port War Signal Station between 1943 and 1945, the place is important in demonstrating the role of women in World War II.

Physical Description

World War II Buildings, Oliver Hill Battery and Signal Ridge, Wadjemup/Rottnest Island comprises two World War II sites located at Oliver Hill Battery and Signal Ridge, including two 9.2 inch (9.2”) breech loading guns (1937; 1938), and their emplacements (1937), and underground facilities; Engine Room; Fortress and Battery Plotting Room (1938); railway lines and paths; remnant structures; and archaeological elements associated with the 1936 to 1944 operation of the battery at Oliver Hill; and the Battery Observation Post (1939); (Post War) Signal Station (1939); WRANS House (1940); and archaeological deposits and other structures associated with the World War II operations at Signal Ridge.

The discontiguous precinct of World War II Buildings, Oliver Hill Battery and Signal Ridge, Wadjemup/Rottnest Island forms part of a series of former military sites across Wadjemup/Rottnest Island valued and visited for their contribution to the defence of the Fremantle Harbour during World War II. A reconstructed railway runs between Thomson Bay Settlement (RHP), Kingstown Barracks (RHP) and Oliver Hill Battery, and interpretive signage and guided tours provide additional information on the World War II history. The ruins of coastal defence systems at Oliver Hill Battery and Bickley Battery, also form part of series of heritage walking trails across the island.

History

World War II Buildings, Oliver Hill Battery and Signal Ridge, Wadjemup/Rottnest Island comprises the World War II sites located at Oliver Hill Battery and Signal Ridge, including two 9.2 inch (9.2”) breech loading guns (1937; 1938) and emplacements (1937), underground infrastructure, and the site of the AWAS hutted camp at Oliver Hill; and the Battery Observation Post (1939), (Post War) Signal Station (1939) and WRANS House (1940) on Signal Ridge. The extant buildings and equipment, together with ruins and archaeological features and deposits associated with them, formed part of a series of coastal defences located at Wadjemup/ Rottnest Island during World War II for the purpose of protecting the Port of Fremantle from bombardment and attack by enemy naval vessels.
The construction of new facilities at Wadjemup/ Rottnest Island significantly expanded the existing coastal defence system for the Port of Fremantle, known as the 'Fremantle Fortress'. The Rottnest Island Fortress comprised Oliver Hill Battery and quarters, Bickley Point Battery and quarters, a Battery Observation Post, Port War Signal Station (PWSS) and barracks at Signal Ridge, permanent army accommodation at Kingstown Barracks, as well as four Fortress Observation Posts and six searchlights located at strategic locations around the island.
The majority of the construction at Oliver Hill Battery including the tunnels, buildings, concrete emplacement structures, engine rooms and search light emplacements was undertaken by civilian contractors, with specialised work performed by military personnel. Construction of the gun emplacements commenced in March 1936 and was completed in December 1937. The two 9.2” guns (H1 and H2) were proof fired on 21 November 1938. In 1939, the guns were fitted with fire control equipment and searchlights were erected.
Signal Ridge is located on Wadjemup Hill, and during wartime operations was known as Signal Ridge. The Signal Ridge Battery Observation Post (BOP) combined the functions of the BOP, Fortress Observation Post (FOP) and Command Centre across the three levels of the building. Construction of BOP was completed in May 1939. Machine gun emplacements were installed at Bickley, Oliver Hill, and Signal Ridge to defence against air-borne attack.
Women's branches of the Australian Defence Services were formed in 1941. Fifty AWAS personnel at Oliver Hill Battery were housed in a purpose-built hutted camp was constructed at Oliver Hill. The women stationed there may also have worked at
the BOP on Signal Ridge. WRANS House was constructed at the Naval Direction Finding Station at North Point in 1937, originally for use by station staff. From 1941 to 1943, the four Harbour Trust signalmen working in the Signal Station
were accommodated in the quarters building. In September 1943, the building was modified for use as accommodation by the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service, which gave the place the current name of WRANS House.
None of the guns on Wadjemup/Rottnest Island ever fired a shot in anger throughout World War II. A shift in focus saw a decline in Australia's involvement in the Pacific in 1944. Oliver Hill Battery ceased operational duties on 1 December 1944.

Archaeology

It is likely that there are intact archaeological deposits and low to moderate artefact scatters dating from colonial settlement to the present within the curtilage of Oliver Hill Battery. Archaeological investigation within the area is likely to reveal further information regarding operation of the Battery. Archaeological elements may be associated with the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the battery railway line, including but not limited to: the barracks, cottages and other building remnants across the site; anti-aircraft guns; search light positions; the underground electrical cables between built elements. The archaeological features associated with the site of the camp, west of the gun emplacements, are likely to be intact.

Above-ground remnants of underground cables, water tanks, ladders, fences, lights and other military installations are present in and around the BOP, Signal Station and the surrounding undulating landscape to the north of the two structures in the Signal Ridge area. Defence fortifications such as machine gun emplacements, fox holes, barbed wire fencing, concrete pads were intentionally hidden, and have since become more obscured through abandonment and vegetation growth.
It is likely that there are intact archaeological deposits and artefact scatters relating to the World War II operations across Signal Ridge. Archaeological investigation within the area may reveal further information regarding the military activities in the area, including both the army and naval contingents. The archaeological features in the northwest portion of the Signal Ridge are likely to be intact.

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This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.