18/01/10 Catapault Relocation - Dover Castle

The Gurkhas made a special visit to Dover Castle yesterday to help dismantle the huge catapult beside the Castle’s Great Tower and move it to a new location near the outer walls of the Castle.  The task will see today’s soldiers getting to grips with a replica of medieval military hardware and it is expected to take two weeks to complete.

The Gurkhas, known for their bravery and strength, were invited to help move the catapult via Brigadier Iain James OBE, Deputy Constable of Dover Castle. H Troop, 69 Gurkha Field Squadron, who are based in Folkestone, will be carrying out the task and the relocation exercise will form part of their training.

Steve Lang, Head of Visitor Operations, Dover Castle said: “We are delighted that the Gurkhas from H Troop have agreed to help us carry out this unique task. The catapult is nine metres tall from the top of its arm and will be dismantled screw by screw with the pieces carried by hand to their new location. It is a huge job and will be similar to taking a giant jigsaw puzzle apart and putting it back together again.

“We look forward to welcoming the squadron into Dover Castle for the next couple of weeks and we hope that this project will be beneficial to their training.”

During the siege of 1216, giant stone-throwing engines (or trebuchets) were used by medieval soldiers to bombard the castle walls with missiles. Following the recent transformation of the Great Tower into the lavish court of Henry II, the replica catapult is being moved to a site closer to where the originals were used.

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