A FORT FULL OF
HISTORY
Sunday Express
Section 2
August 27, 2000
Page 22
Looking
around Fort Abercromby it’s hard to imagine that British
soldiers were once stationed there.
The
peaceful surroundings and the lonely canons make it even harder to imagine that
it was the scene of a hasty retreat on the part of the British. In fact, it turned out to be a case of
himself retreating from himself.
Fort
Abercromby was named after Sir Ralph Abercromby who was head of the British
Forces that took Trinidad from the Spanish in 1797. It was built by the first Governor of Trinidad, colonel Thomas
Picton. It cost £300.
It
was used as a point of exit and for strategic defence against hostile
invaders. The fort was also intended to
be used as a point of exit for the British forces in Trinidad, should they ever
be compelled to abandon Port of Spain or evacuate the island.
In
1805, a garrison of three officers and 50 soldiers were occupying the fort.
It
was the year in which the Battle of Trafalgar took place. One officer, standing on the fort and seeing
a larger fleet approaching, raised an alarm.
These
were still uncertain times. Islands
could still be taken over by hostile countries. A decision was taken to burn the huts, spike the guns and every
man beat a hasty retreat over the hills.
It
was a false alarm however, as the fleet turned out to be that f Lord Nelson on
its way to take part in the Battle of Trafalgar. It was after that battle that Britain gained control of the seas,
as Nelson, in command of the British fleet destroyed the combined fleets of
France and Spain.
Nowadays,
however, Fort Abercromby located on the Northern Range just above the Las
Cuevas fishing complex is a very quiet place.
On entering
the sharp and very narrow road there is a little village that stands on its
own.
An important
meeting point is a standpipe used by the villagers for bathing and washing
clothes. Another of the landmarks is a
very old tapia house. There is also a
basketball court, a primary school and friendly villagers.
Nothing
much remains of the fort except for two old, rusty-looking canons.
Police
patrol the usually empty park to ensure the safety of visitors.
Those
who venture there, however, are rewarded by a fantastic view.