Fort de Bron build 'cut-away' cannon
FSG help fund new educational resource
Fort de Bron was part of the defense system designed by General Séré de Rivières along the French borders after the war of 1870. The city of Lyon was defined as a "stronghold" defended by a belt of forts away from the city, which includes Fort de Bron.
Too close to the city, as artillery improved the Fort was quickly decommissioned, and has not undergone any major architectural transformations and so is an excellent example of a Séré de Rivières" fort.
Monday 26 August 2024 marked the end of the first phase in the latest Association du Fort De Bron project, supported by a Fortress Study Group grant, to build an educational version of a de Bange 120mm cannon from the 1870s.
The group have already built one reproduction cannon and carriage, which is on display in the Fort (photo above).
The aim this time is to build a cutaway version of the gun as a centrepiece of a new museum display to illustrate the operation of artillery there. This will present the challenges of showing the rifling and the breech assembly, along with shells, cartridge bags and mannequins of artillerymen, as well, of course, of information boards. In addition to technical drawings, the Fort has an example of a de Bange breech block, albeit for a 95mm calibre gun, the field piece version of what was, in its day, one of the most advanced guns in the world.
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The moulds for the cannon were made some time ago by a technical school in Albertville, and the moulds are stored by the Technical Services department of the Communes there. Having made castings of all of the necessary pieces, the trip to Albertville was to return the moulds.
A replica breach has also been made.
Having dropped off the cannon moulds a small party of volunteers, including FSG Secretary Nick Dougan, made their way to the Fort de Tamié. This Fort is a mountain fort of the Sere de Rivieres series, designed to provide protective fire for other forts on the Place d’Albertville while holding one of the areas from which the whole city could be dominated if it fell into enemy hands. Nick will write an article on that Fort for Casemate in due course.
Grant Details
Recipient - Association of the Fort de Bron, Lyon
Purpose – Project cannon
The grant will help us speed up the implementation and develop the scenarization of an artillery room, where artillery at the end of the 19th century will be the central theme. This room corresponds to a casemate housing an indirect-fire cannon.
Current state:
Numerous examples of artillery projectiles are on display, ranging from cannonballs to the various shells used from the 19th century to WWI. (Demilitarized projectiles) as well as various artillery-related objects. We completed the first stage of the project by reconstructing a 120 mm Bange cannon, based on drawings/plans from the Briançon Museum. This is now on display at our premises.
The next stage of the project supported by the grant will be:
- Future model: a cutaway of the barrel of the 120 mm Bange cannon, to explain how it works to visitors. The barrel mould is currently at the Fort.
- Educational signs
- Fake scenic elements: shells, cartridges, mannequins
Value - €1500
Co-funding – the grant represented c20% of the total cost
Date Awarded – May 2024
