 In the 1930s the guns on the island were sold (for scrap metal, during the Depression) but the larger two were left on the island, because they were too heavy to be brought back across the bridge.The army took over the fort in 1942 when Japan entered World War 2 and the veterans made way for 24 servicemen known as the "Bare section".In 1962 the army offered to sell the island to the War Veterans' Home for a fee of one pound, but the offer was declined.