Bulford Camp is a

military camp A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent military base, for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large cam ...

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England. Established in 1897, the site continues in use as a large

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

base. The camp is close to the village of

Bulford Bulford is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Wiltshire, England, near Salisbury Plain. The village is close to Durrington, Wiltshire, Durrington and about north of the town of Amesbury. The Bulford Camp army base is sep ...

and is about north-east of the town of

Amesbury Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settl ...

. The camp forms part of the Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford (TidNBul) Garrison.

History

The camp was built as a mixture of tents and huts in 1897. The section called

Sling Camp Sling Camp was a World War I camp occupied by New Zealand soldiers beside the then-military town of Bulford on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. History The camp was initially created as an annexe to Bulford Camp in 1903; it was originall ...

was occupied by soldiers of the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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. Later, New Zealanders awaiting demobilization left their mark by creating the

Bulford Kiwi The Bulford Kiwi is a large depiction of a kiwi, carved in the chalk on Beacon Hill above the military town of Bulford on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It was created in 1919 by soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who wer ...

, a large chalk figure on the hillside overlooking the camp. Permanent barracks were built during the inter-war years: the current names were applied in 1931. 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. Headquarters

South West District South West Delhi (ISO: ''Dakṣinṇa Paścima Dillī'') is one of the eleven administrative districts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India. Kapashera serves as the administrative headquarters of South West Delhi. South West Del ...

was established at the camp in 1967, but was disbanded on the formation of HQ

Land Command Land Command (or 'HQ Land') was a military command and formation and part of the structure of the British Army from 1995 to 2008. Its headquarters was at Erskine Barracks, at Fugglestone St Peter, some four kilometres northwest of Salisbury in W ...

in 1995.

Today

The modern-day Bulford Camp is on two sites, separated by Marlborough Road, altogether about .Aspire Defence Capital Works,
Army Basing Programme: Bulford Garrison – Built Heritage Assessment
'. June 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2021. The eastern area contains Picton Barracks which since 1992 has housed the headquarters of

3rd (UK) Division The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division, also known as The Iron Division, is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Pe ...

and its Signals Regiment. Kiwi Barracks, where many of the streets are named after New Zealand towns, houses 3rd Regiment

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations ...

. 5th Battalion

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...

moved to Bulford Camp from Germany in 2016. The western side contains Ward Barracks which houses the headquarters of

12th Armoured Infantry Brigade 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. The headquarters of the former

Special Investigation Branch Special Investigation Branch (SIB) was the name given to the detective branches of all three British military police arms: the Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and Royal Air Force Police. It was most closely associated with the Royal ...

of the

was housed at Campion Lines, until it was disbanded in 2022. The

Household Cavalry Regiment The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) is an Armoured Cavalry regiment of the British Army based in Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. It is the brother regiment of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) based at Hyde Park Barracks in London - both ...

moved from

Combermere Barracks Combermere Barracks, Windsor is a British Army installation from Windsor Castle. History The original barracks, known as Clewer Barracks, were designed to accommodate the Royal Horse Guards and were built at Clewer Park between 1796 and 180 ...

to Bulford Camp in May 2019. For administrative reasons, the camp falls under the command of Headquarters South West, based at

Tidworth Camp Tidworth Camp is a military installation at Tidworth in Wiltshire, England. It forms part of the Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford (TidNBul) Garrison. History The Camp was established when the War Office acquired a 19th-century mansion – Te ...

. The camp forms part of the Salisbury Plain 'Super Garrison'.Ministry of Defence,
Army Basing Programme: Salisbury Plain Masterplan
'. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2021.

Composition

The current camp includes the following units (separated by barracks/lines): *Kiwi Barracks **Headquarters, 3rd Regiment,

***158 Provost Company, Royal Military Police *Picton Barracks **Headquarters,

3rd (United Kingdom) Division The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division, also known as The Iron Division, is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the P ...

**Headquarters,

25 (Close Support) Engineer Group 25 (Close Support) Engineer Group is an engineering group of the British Army's Corps of Royal Engineers. History The group was formed in 2014 under the Army 2020 programme. Current structure After the Army 2020 Refine, the group now has the ...

** 3rd (United Kingdom) Divisional Signal Regiment,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

**1st Battalion,

Mercian Regiment The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infant ...

FOI(A) Response,
Information related to the Army 2020 Refine
'. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2020. * Ward Barracks **Headquarters,

** 4 Military Intelligence Battalion, Intelligence Corps **5th Battalion,

**''6 Platoon, B Company, 7th Battalion, The Rifles'' (Army Reserve) **19 Tank Transporter Squadron, 27 Regiment,

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

*Wing Barracks **Headquarters, 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade *Powle Lines **

*Campion Lines **

Defence Serious Crime Unit The Defence Serious Crime Unit (DSCU), is a military unit within the Defence Crime Command which investigates alleged crimes and criminal activity involving personnel subject to Service law in the United Kingdom, or those in the UK military serv ...

(DSCU)

Churches

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

Schools

Kiwi Primary School, under County Council control since 1948, serves the garrison from a building which was opened in 1965. 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. Until 1997 there was a second primary school, Haig County Primary School.

Former railway

In 1906 the

Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway The Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway (also known as the Bulford Camp Railway) was a branch line in Wiltshire, England, constructed under a light railway order, the Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway Order 1898, dated 24 September 18 ...

was extended from 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.