Battlesbury Barracks

Battlesbury Barracks is a British Army installation in Warminster, Wiltshire, England. It is the permanent base of the Royal Dragoon Guards, serving as armoured cavalry.

Battlesbury Barracks
Warminster
Entrance to Battlesbury Barracks
Battlesbury Barracks
Location within Wiltshire
Coordinates51.2034°N 2.1605°W / 51.2034; -2.1605
TypeBarracks
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
Operator British Army
Site history
Built1938
Built forWar Office
In use1938-Present
Garrison information
OccupantsRoyal Dragoon Guards

History

The barracks is on the eastern outskirts of the town, near the ancient Battlesbury Camp hill fort, and was first occupied by the Welch Regiment in 1965.[1]

On 9 December 2005 the barracks was taken over by the Duke of Wellington's Regiment on their return to the UK from Belfast Barracks in Osnabrück, Germany, as their permanent UK base.[2]

Dukes' final morning parade before re-badging (6 June 2006)

In December 2004, as part of the re-organisation of the infantry, it was announced that the Duke of Wellington's Regiment would be amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Green Howards, all Yorkshire-based regiments in the King's Division, to form the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalion of the new Yorkshire Regiment. The re-badging parade took place on 6 June 2006 and the 'Dukes' formally became the 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's).[3]

In 2009, the extent of the site was 29 hectares (72 acres).[4]

In 2013, under the Army 2020 changes, the Green Howards Battalion (2nd) in Cyprus was to be disbanded. The soldiers were merged into the 1st (PWO), Battalion in Germany and the 3rd (DWR) Battalion on 25 July 2013. The 3rd Battalion was then renumbered as the new 1st Battalion (1 Yorks), whilst the PWO Battalion took over the Colours of the 2nd Battalion (Green Howards) and renumbered as the new 2nd Battalion (2 Yorks).[5][6]

In November 2020, as part of the broader Defence level rebasing plan, 1 Yorks moved to Catterick Garrison conducting a straight swap with the Royal Dragoon Guards who moved to Battlesbury Barracks.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Welch Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  2. DWR Regimental Journal: The Iron Duke, issue 257, Page 122, '1st Battalion Headquarters', Winter 2005
  3. "The Yorkshire Regiment". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  4. "Defence Estate Development Plan 2009: Estate Baseline" (PDF). GOV.UK. Ministry of Defence. 3 July 2009. p. 40. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  5. "3 YORKS becomes 1 YORKS". Ministry of Defence. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  6. "Duke of Wellington's Regimental Association website". DWR Website News page. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  7. "Pictures: Prince Charles visits Royal Dragoon Guards at Catterick Garrison". Northern Echo. 12 October 2020.
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