Bulford Camp
Bulford
Gaza Road, Bulford Camp
Bulford Camp is located in Wiltshire
Bulford Camp
Bulford Camp
Location within Wiltshire
Coordinates51°11′28″N 1°44′03″W / 51.19111°N 1.73417°W / 51.19111; -1.73417
TypeMilitary Base
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
Operator British Army
Controlled byHeadquarters South West
Site history
Built1897
Built forWar Office
In use1897–present
Cpl. O'Sullivan at Bulford Camp

Bulford Camp is a military camp on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Established in 1897, the site continues in use as a large British Army base. The camp is close to the village of Bulford and is about 2+1⁄4 miles (3.6 km) north-east of the town of Amesbury. The camp forms part of the Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford (TidNBul) Garrison.[1]

History

The camp was built as a mixture of tents and huts in 1897.[2] The section called Sling Camp was occupied by soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the First World War. At the end of the war, the overcrowded camp was the site of the Battle of Bulford, when New Zealand troops staged a brief mutiny.[3][4] Later, New Zealanders awaiting demobilization left their mark by creating the Bulford Kiwi, a large chalk figure on the hillside overlooking the camp.[5][6]

Permanent barracks were built during the inter-war years: the current names were applied in 1931.[7] Carter Barracks, a hutted camp north of Bulford Droveway, beyond the northern boundary of the present site, were built in 1939-40 and demolished in 1978.[8]

Headquarters South West District was established at the camp in 1967,[9] but was disbanded on the formation of HQ Land Command in 1995.[10]

Today

The modern-day Bulford Camp is on two sites, separated by Marlborough Road, altogether about 290 acres (116 ha).[11] The eastern area contains Picton Barracks which since 1992 has housed the headquarters of 3rd (UK) Division and its Signals Regiment.[12] Kiwi Barracks, where many of the streets are named after New Zealand towns, houses 3rd Regiment Royal Military Police.[13] 5th Battalion The Rifles moved to Bulford Camp from Germany in 2016.[14]

The western side contains Ward Barracks which houses the headquarters of 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade.[15] The headquarters of the former Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police was housed at Campion Lines, until it was disbanded in 2022.[16]

The Household Cavalry Regiment moved from Combermere Barracks to Bulford Camp in May 2019.[17]

For administrative reasons, the camp falls under the command of Headquarters South West, based at Tidworth Camp.[18][19][20]

The camp forms part of the Salisbury Plain 'Super Garrison'.[21][22]

Composition

The current camp includes the following units (separated by barracks/lines):[22]

Churches

Church of St George, Bulford Camp

The garrison church of St George was built in 1920–1927.[58][11] Pevsner describes it as "large, Perpendicular, spick and span and smug".[59]

The Catholic church of Our Lady Queen of Peace was built in 1968, replacing a church of Our Lady of Victories which was opened in 1925.[8]

Schools

Kiwi Primary School, under County Council control since 1948, serves the garrison from a building which was opened in 1965.[60]

The first school at the camp was opened in Wing Barracks before 1915, then transferred to the County Council in 1948 and renamed Wing County Junior School in 1955. In 1963 this school was combined with Kiwi Infants' County School to form the present Kiwi School.[61] Until 1997 there was a second primary school, Haig County Primary School.[62][63]

Former railway

In 1906 the Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway was extended from Amesbury into the garrison. The station within the garrison was the terminus for personnel while a goods track extended into Sling Camp. This extension was removed in 1933; the whole line closed to passengers in 1952 but goods services continued until 1963.[64]

References

  1. ^ "Garrison Commander assists with construction of new Officers' Mess". Aspire Defence Limited. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Bulford Camp Then and Now". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Merely For the Record": The Memoirs of Donald Christopher Smith 1894-1980. By Donald Christopher Smith. Edited by John William Cox, Jr. Bermuda. (A Bermudian officer (1914 Rhodes Scholar for Bermuda, later a prominent lawyer, and a Member of the Colonial Parliament (MCP) of Bermuda for twenty years) serving in the Royal Field Artillery, Lieutenant Smith's unit, among others, was sent with small arms to surround Bulford Camp for two days, after which the mutiny fizzled out).
  4. ^ "Bermuda Rhodes Scholars - Details". www.rhodes.bm.
  5. ^ "Facelift for the Bulford Kiwi" (PDF). Drumbeat. July 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  6. ^ Michael Daly (16 June 2017). "Recognition for a giant chalk kiwi, but some of the history is a bit awry". Drumbeat. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Bulford". Wiltshire Community History. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  8. ^ a b Crowley, D.A. (ed.). "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 15 pp 61-70 - Parishes: Bulford". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Land Command Shapes Up", Jane's Defence Weekly, 15 July 1995.
  11. ^ a b Aspire Defence Capital Works, Army Basing Programme: Bulford Garrison – Built Heritage Assessment. June 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  12. ^ a b "3 Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  13. ^ "The location in the UK of each army regiment". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  14. ^ "5 Rifles". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  15. ^ "12th Armoured Infantry Brigade". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  16. ^ "Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
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  18. ^ a b c "Army Basing Programme, PAC Information Leaflet – Issue 16 October 2019". army.mod.uk. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
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  20. ^ "Army Basing Programme, SPTA SFA Information Leaflet – Issue 10 July 2019". army.mod.uk. 10 July 2019. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
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  22. ^ a b Ministry of Defence, Army Basing Programme: Salisbury Plain Masterplan. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  23. ^ "The Bulford Kiwi Granted Protected Status". Forces Network. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  24. ^ Kirstie Chambers (28 June 2019). "Bulford Kiwi: 100 Years Of Monument Commemorated". Forces Network. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
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  28. ^ a b c Ministry of Defence (July 2013). "Transforming the British Army an Update" (PDF). Parliamentary Publishments. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  29. ^ a b c "3rd (United Kingdom) Division". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  30. ^ "Corps of Royal Engineers". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  31. ^ "FOIA Army 2020 Refine clarifications B" (PDF). Whatdotheyknow. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019. Which Royal Engineer Regiments will move to 25th Close Support Engineer Group tosupport the Strike Brigades and which will remain as part of 12th Force Support Group under 8 Engineer Brigade? Information not held. Under Section 16 of the Act (Advice and Assistance) it might be helpful if I explain that no units transfer from 12 Force Support Group to 25 Close Support Engineer Group
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  37. ^ "Bulford soldiers awarded Afghanistan service medals". BBC News. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  38. ^ Prime Minister's visit to Bulford Garrison (YouTube), 10 Downing Street, 21 October 2016, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 26 March 2021
  39. ^ a b "20th Armoured Infantry Brigade". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  40. ^ "Mercian Regiment". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
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  42. ^ "History of 12 Mech Bde HQ and Sig Sqn (228)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
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  44. ^ Rosie Laydon, A Happy "Retreat" for 5 RIFLES, 26 September 2016. Forces News. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
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  52. ^ "27 Regiment RLC". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  53. ^ a b "Household Cavalry". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
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  55. ^ "Army/Sec/21/04/FOI2017/02130/78471" (PDF). www.gov.uk. UK Army Secretariat. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  56. ^ "First Ares Armoured Vehicles Delivered to the Army". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  57. ^ "Defence Serious Crime Unit (DSCU)". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  58. ^ "Church of St. George, Bulford". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  59. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 152. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
  60. ^ "Kiwi School, Bulford". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  61. ^ "Wing County Junior School, Bulford". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  62. ^ "Haig County Primary School, Bulford". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  63. ^ "Haig County Primary School". EduBase. Department for Education. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  64. ^ Oakley, Mike (2004). Wiltshire Railway Stations. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press. p. 27. ISBN 1904349331.

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