OLD FORT | perim

THE OLD FORT

Following his arrival on Perim (see Reoccupation of Perim 1857) Lieutenant Greig RE set about building the infrastructure of the Outpost. He was soon joined temporarily by Lieutenant Playfair (of Tawela Tanks fame), the 1st Assistant to Brigadier General Coghlan, the Resident in Aden. The island was much more extensive than Greig had imagined, perhaps having as much as 30 miles of coastline. He had camped initially on the site of what was to become Meyun village.

After he had unloaded his stores he had selected a site for a permanent position on the promontory immediately South of William Bay, on the 1958 map shown as Lang Point. Playfair reckoned this was a judicious decision as the position was easily accessible from the harbour, which it commanded. (The narrowest point of the spit on the other side of the harbour was about a mile away, and thus just within cannon range – see the photograph of the harbour taken from the air in 1964. ) It was also within easy reach of any of the likely sites for a lighthouse. Moreover it was fully exposed to the breeze from all quarters, being about 80 feet above sea level.

Looking at Lang Point on Google Earth one would like to think that the outline of the ‘Old Fort’, as it was soon referred to, is still visible, looking a bit like a map of Africa. Certainly that is where it was.

Water tanks being his specialty, within 24 hours of his arrival Playfair had visited the large reservoir at the head of Murray Bay. He disagreed with Lieutenant Lamb RN (the officer sent by Coghlan to reconnoitre Perim prior to its occupation) over its condition; it was so badly damaged and so badly located that he did not think it worth repairing. He reported back to Coghlan that Greig was currently sinking a well above his encampment but he was not sanguine as to the probability of the experiment being successful. Some of the crew of the buggalow that had brought Playfair to Perim had mentioned that it always rained at that time of year and at the end of the hot weather season in August. These two statements on rainfall painted a far too rosy a picture of the probability of it raining in March and August.

From a 20 year study of rainfall statistics in the period either side of 1900 it was true that March is the wettest month, and that August is the most likely month for a storm. But in some years no rain would fall and the long-term annual average is not much over two inches. Greig’s first priority was to build a track up to his chosen site, where he also set about digging a tank that would hold 15,000 gallons of water. Coghlan was very pleased with Greig’s efforts, but not so the Chief Engineer in Bombay, Major General Waddington. (Greig was reporting to, and had been given orders by, two masters.) Waddington felt Greig had neglected the primary aim which he (as opposed to Coghlan) he had given him – the security of the garrison.

It was soon realised that wells on Perim would only supply usable water for a few weeks at the most after appreciable rainfall – and then invariably became brackish or dried up completely. Arrangements were made to purchase water from wells near Sheikh Syed on the Arabian shore opposite Perim, but these too would be found to have a limited life.

On 1 August Greig sent a long progress report to the senior Engineer officer in Aden, which in effect was his response to and defence against the fairly severe criticisms made by Waddington in May. Regarding the accusation that he had not properly secured his lines against attack, he pointed out that instead of building a number of bungalows for himself and the other Europeans, the buildings had all been inter-connected and ‘so designed that a good flanking defence might be obtained’. Waddington had also been unhappy about progress towards there being a satisfactory supply and reserve of water.

Greig pointed out that he had completed a 50,000 gallon reservoir near the pier and was currently constructing another of the same size alongside. There was also a 15,000 gallon reservoir in the lines. His daily use was 600 gallons for a current force of 178 men, which meant that the main reservoir could hold nearly three months supply. He envisaged the work force being increased to perhaps 300 whilst the lighthouse was being built and even allowing for some wastage and for providing water to a ship or two in harbour, there would still be a three month supply.

When he had submitted his previous report regarding water, the delivery and reserve situations had been fairly critical as the supply from Sheikh Syed had become brackish and the contractor had had to look elsewhere, including on the African shore, initially with little success. But the contractor had now located a good and plentiful source and reserves had been built up to a good level. He also mentioned that he had also begun the masonry of a reservoir to catch rain water.

Regarding the lighthouse nothing much could be done until the site had been selected and decisions made as to how it should be defended. In the meantime, therefore, Greig was using his labour force to improve the lines and to dig reservoirs. These explanations more or less appeased Waddington who admitted he perhaps had been too critical in his original comments. It was not only about the lighthouse that decisions were needed; how should the island itself, and more particularly the harbour, be defended? Should Perim become a Cronstadt?