History of Newcastle in Jamaica

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Safely lodged in the hills of St. Andrew, Newcastle has been a military installation for over 170 years. The military base came into being due to the persistence of the then Major General Sir William Gomm (later Field Marshall) who sent numerous letters the British Government requesting permission and finances to commence construction. At that time, the British garrison was stationed in the plains at Up Park Camp, with others at Stony Hill, Fort Augusta and Port Royal. In the 19th century, the death rate caused by yellow fever was one soldier every two and a half days. Due to that mortality rate, the renowned Royal Scots who were warned for duty in the West Indies would draw lots to decide who would go as such posting was seen as a death sentence. Sir Gomm noticed that the rates of death from yellow fever infection was much lower among those that lived in the mountains than those that lived in the lowlands. He then proposed to establish a military barrack in the hills of St Andrew as he was concerned about the high mortality rate of among the European troops in Kingston. However, Gomm’s pleas were unattended to as the British Government was concerned about the expenses that it would incur and ignored the dangerous and cruel loss in manpower resulting from yellow fever. In May of 1841, Gomm selected a site for the construction of the first permanent mountain station in the British West Indies at Newcastle. Newcastle was a coffee plantation protruding from the southern face of the grand ridge of the Blue Mountains. Paying £4,230 for the lot, Gomm commenced construction of the military base with the approval of the Governor but without British Government consent. Fortunately, in December of 1841, the Board of Ordnance authorized the erection of a permanent barrack at Newcastle to house a battalion. Sir William Gomm had finally succeeded in establishing a base that

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