The_Barracks,_Brecon

The Barracks, Brecon

The Barracks, Brecon

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For The Barracks in Kingston upon Thames, see The Barracks, Kingston upon Thames.

The Barracks, Watton is a military installation in Brecon in Wales.

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History

The original barracks, which were constructed of red brick, were built at the Watton in 1805 and then extended in 1813.[1]

In 1873, as part of the Cardwell Reforms (which encouraged the localisation of British military forces),[2] the barracks became the depot for the two battalions of the 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot, which began recruiting throughout South Wales. In the mid-1870s, troops from the barracks were despatched to the Cape Colony. During January 1879, the 24th Regiment became famed for its role at two momentous battles of the Anglo-Zulu War – Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.[3] That same year, a keep, for the storage of arms and ammunition, was added to the barracks.[1]

Following the Childers Reforms, on 1 July 1881, the 24th Regiment was renamed the South Wales Borderers.[4][5]

The South Wales Borderers Museum, now the Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh, opened at the barracks in 1935.[6] The barracks were designated as a Regional Seat of Government in the Cold War.[7]

Headquarters Wales was established at the barracks in 1972.[8] In 1991, the first of the minor districts to be amalgamated were North West District, the former West Midlands District (by then Western District) and Wales, to form a new Wales and Western District.[9] The enlarged district was disbanded on the formation of HQ Land Command in 1995.[10]

The barracks are now the home of 160th (Wales) Brigade.[11] In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would close in 2027.[12] This decision was later scrapped under the Future Soldier reforms.[13]

References

  1. [1]
    Tones, p. 126
  2. [2]
    "Echoes of the past in these Army cuts". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  3. [3]
    "Brecon campaign to buy Rorke's Drift Victoria Crosses' museum". BBC. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  4. [4]
    "The Keep at Brecon Barracks". Powys History. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  5. [5]
    "Training Depots". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  6. [6]
    "The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh". Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  7. [7]
    "Civil Defence Project". Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  8. [8]
    Paxton, J. (1972). The Statesman's Year-Book 1972-73: The Encyclopaedia for the Businessman-of-The-World. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-230-27101-2.
  9. [9]
    Beevor, Antony (1991). Inside the British Army. Transworld Publishers. p. 232. ISBN 978-0552138185.
  10. [10]
    "Land Command Shapes Up", Jane's Defence Weekly, 15 July 1995.
  11. [11]
    "Summary of Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) implementation measures within Wales" (PDF). Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  12. [12]
    "A Better Defence Estate" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  13. [13]
    "British Army restructure sees hundreds of tanks and troops return to Germany after withdrawal less than a year ago". Sky News. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.

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