The Royal Engineers handed over responsibility for submarine mining to the Admiralty after 1904 and the Stokes Bay Submarine Mining Establishment was retained by the Royal Engineers for training in electrical engineering. One plan shows it as the School of Electric Lighting (Searchlights) but all subsequent plans show it as The School of Electric Lighting.
The Submarine Mining Establishment buildings at Stokes Bay after they became the School of Electric Lighting (Searchlights) Note the tramway.
The School of Electric Lighting in 1933: The tramway is still there.
The School of Electric Lighting buildings 1939: The tramway is missing.
The School of Electric Lighting shortly before it was demolished, viewed from the Fort Gilkicker side.
A view from Gosport pier in 1954 showing the School of Electric Lighting with Fort Gilkicker in the distance.
The Tyne Electrical Engineers
The Tyne Electrical Engineers were originally Submarine Miners but after the Navy took over this responsibility they became closely associated with Coast Defence Lights. In 1903 they camped at Stokes Bay carrying out mining work at Spithead. They returned again in 1905 and 1906 using Fort Monckton. By this time they were operating a mobile 90cm Coast Defence searchlight. They assumed the position of Second Senior Volunteer Electrical Engineer Unit and again held their camp at Stokes Bay in 1907. In 1912 Gosport was the War Station for two of their companies. Among the earliest extemporised Anti Aircraft lights manned by the Tyne Electrical Engineers were ones at Forts Monckton, Gilkicker, Elson, Brockhurst, Grange, Lumps and Horse Sand.
No.6 Electric Light Company R.E. was based at Stokes Bay in 1914.
In 1924 the 22 Fortress Company R.E. occupied Fort Monckton and the workshops at Stokes Bay were still in use.
In 1932 a memorandum accompanying the Army Estimates
stated that it had been decided to entrust the
responsibility for manning the whole of the Coast
Defences of the UK to the Territorial Army. On the
withdrawal of the Regular personnel from the ports a
specialist cadre was left behind to assist in
operating the more complicated instruments in the
defences and at the three Naval ports, one of which was
Portsmouth, R.E. parties remained for maintenance
services. Out of the Engineer personnel withdrawn a new
Regular Fortress Company was formed for duty at
Portsmouth and was used to operate part of the
Portsmouth searchlights and to keep abreast of technical
developments in lights for the benefit of the whole
coastal service. This arrangement reduced the School of
Electric Lighting at Stokes Bay to purely defence work
in conjunction with the new Fortress Company, and all
other engineer training was transferred to the School of
Military Engineering at Chatham.
The School of Electric Lighting continued to be used by the R.E. until the 1950s and perhaps beyond. The buildings of the School were finally demolished by civilian contractors prior to March 1974 when Gosport Borough Council acquired the land from the M.O.D. and little remains apart from a few blocks of concrete amongst the grass and shingle on the beach.
1/8 Hampshire Electric Light Company, Royal Engineers.
(Photo taken at Gosport)
Engineer and Artillery officers at the S.E.L. in 1939.
