Colchester Garrison is a major garrison located in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colc ...

in the county of

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, Eastern England. It has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by

Legio XX Valeria Victrix Legio XX Valeria Victrix, in English Twentieth Victorious Valeria Legion was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. The origin of the Legion's name is unclear and there are various theories, but the legion may have gained its title ''Valeria ...

in AD 43 following the Roman conquest of Britain. Colchester was an important garrison town during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

and throughout the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

several battalions of

Kitchener's Army The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob, was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...

were trained there. Now, 2nd Battalion and 3rd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment are based there. Today there are new barracks, which, in replacing the Victorian buildings, have made available building land slightly nearer the town centre.

History

Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815)

Colchester Garrison played an eminent role during the

. The troops were originally

billet A billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, a billet was a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier. Soldiers are generally billeted in barracks or garrisons when not on combat duty, alt ...

ed in local inns and houses. After petitioning from the borough council, new infantry barracks were built in 1794. By 1800 additional infantry, artillery, and cavalry barracks had been built in the area bounded by Barrack Street to the north, Wimpole Road to the west, and Port Lane to the east. In 1805 the barracks were home to 7,000 officers and men. After the Napoleonic Wars the barracks were reduced. The sale of the older barracks and the freehold site on which they stood started in 1817 and was completed in 1840. The Army retained and an infantry barracks for 851 officers and men. Much of the old barracks land was developed as the "New Town" area of Colchester during the Victorian era.Barracks , A History of the County of Essex: Volume 9 (pp. 251-255)
/ref>

Crimean War (1854–1856)

Colchester Garrison experienced rapid expansion during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included t ...

. Between 1855 and 1856 wooden infantry barracks for 5,000 troops were erected on Ordnance Field. The government purchased Middlewick Farm for use as a training area and a rifle range in 1857. Middlewick Ranges are still in use by the present garrison; however they will close in 2022.

British German Legion

In 1856 10,000 troops of the

British German Legion The British German Legion (or Anglo-German Legion) was a group of German soldiers recruited to fight for Britain in the Crimean War. It is not to be confused with the King's German Legion, which was active during the Napoleonic Wars. Great Britai ...

were billeted in the infantry barracks and in tented encampments on Barrack Field. The British German Legion was raised in 1854 as a foreign corps in British service (similar to the Kings German Legion during the Napoleonic Wars). The Legion was raised for service in the

, under the provisions of the

Enlistment of Foreigners Act 1854 Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

. The Legion did not see active service although a large number of legionaries went to the Crimea where they mostly died of fever without seeing the battlefields. The Legion was disbanded in Colchester in 1857, but the majority of the remaining personnel went to the Eastern Cape as part of the Kaffraria Settlement. Because preference was given to those who were married or had a fiancée, men without German wives or fiancees married, in great numbers, Colchester girls. There are dozens of marriages recorded in the Colchester Churches, mainly St Botolph's, and the remainder were married at the Garrison Church. This establishment was later found not to be registered for marriages, and so the affected couples were declared wed by Act of the Cape Parliament in 1858.

First World War (1914–1918)

Officers Mess, Hyderabad Barracks, Colchester

Territorial Force

=Essex Regiment

= 8th (Cyclist) Battalion, Essex Regiment, ( TF) was based in Colchester at the outbreak of war in August 1914. It was redesignated 1/8th Battalion as additional "Terrier" battalions were raised from volunteers during the early months of the war. The 2/8th and 3/8th Battalions were formed in September 1914 and April 1915 respectively. All three Terrier battalions were allocated to home defence and remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war.

=Essex Yeomanry

= The Essex Yeomanry (EY), a cavalry regiment, was mobilised at the outbreak of war. The regiment joined the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver C ...

and the 10th Royal Hussars in France in November 1914 as part of 8th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division. During the war, 2nd and 3rd line regiments were raised in Colchester to reinforce the 1st line. 2 EY served as garrison troops in Ireland during the war, 3 EY was absorbed into the

4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment Seventeen Cavalry Reserve Regiments were formed by the British Army on the outbreak of the Great War in August, 1914. These were affiliated with one or more active cavalry regiments, their purpose being to train replacement drafts for the active r ...

in 1917. On 14 March 1918, Essex Yeomanry left 8th Cavalry Brigade to become a

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

unit, then to form a machine gun battalion with the Bedfordshire Yeomanry. The German spring offensive forestalled this plan, and the regiment was remounted on 28 March and sent to the 1st Cavalry Division. From 4 April it was split up with a squadron joining each regiment in 1st Cavalry Brigade (

2nd Dragoon Guards The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was first raised in 1685 by the Earl of Peterborough as the Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Horse by merging four existing troops of horse. Renamed several ...

5th Dragoon Guards The 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially formed in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse. Following a number of name changes, it became the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) ...

and

11th Hussars The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 10th Royal Hussars (Prin ...

=Essex RHA

= Essex Battery, RHA was mobilised in Colchester and Chelmsford in 1914. The battery was a

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link r ...

unit. A 2nd line unit, 2/1st Essex Battery, RHA, was raised later.

Kitchener's Army

The

12th (Eastern) Division The 12th (Eastern) Division was an infantry division raised by the British Army during the First World War from men volunteering for Kitchener's New Armies. The division saw service in the trenches of the Western Front from June 1915 to the ...

was organised at Colchester from August 1914 to February 1915. The division was one of the first

New Army The New Armies (Traditional Chinese: 新軍, Simplified Chinese: 新军; Pinyin: Xīnjūn, Manchu language, Manchu: ''Ice cooha''), more fully called the Newly Created Army ( ''Xinjian Lujun''Also translated as "Newly Established Army" ()), was ...

divisions to be formed, as part of K1. The division included Kitchener battalions from the Essex Regiment, the Suffolk Regiment, the Norfolk Regiment, the

Royal Berkshire Regiment The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), by ...

, the Cambridgeshire Regiment, the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

, the

Queen's Regiment The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the ar ...

, The Buffs, the

Royal West Kent Regiment The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army based in the county of Kent in existence from 1881 to 1961. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, originally as the Que ...

, and the East Surrey Regiment. The division moved to France in 1915 and fought at the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...

(1915), the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

(1916), the Battle of Cambrai (1917) and the

Battle of the Hindenburg Line A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

(1918).

Second World War (1939–1945)

4th Infantry Division

Colchester was the home garrison of the 4th Infantry Division in September 1939. Resident units on the outbreak of war on 3 September, included 2nd Battalion

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 2 ...

, 1st Battalion East Surrey Regiment, 1st Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry,

5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 5th Dragoon Guards (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons. It served in the Second World W ...

17th/21st Lancers The 17th/21st Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in England by the amalgamation of the 17th Lancers and the 21st Lancers in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated with the 16th/5th The Queen' ...

, 27th Field Regiment

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, 30th Field Regiment Royal Artillery and 14th Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery. The division deployed to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

in 1940 as part of the British Expeditionary Force.

Home Guard

During the war the town was defended by local defence volunteers of 8th Essex Battalion of the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or military reserve force, reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the America ...

. At the height of its strength the battalion mustered over 2,000 men. The battalion possessed no fewer than 22 different types of weapon, including

Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and ...

s, flame throwers, and 2 pounder anti tank guns. Additional support throughout the area was provided by 13th Essex Battalion, made up of volunteers from the GPO who were charged with the protection of critical telecommunications infrastructure. The order to "stand down" for the Home Guard came on 1 November 1944. They took their final salute on 19 November before the Lord Lieutenant of the county, Colonel Sir Francis Whitmore. Whitmore said, "You have, by your sense of duty, your loyalty and patriotism, contributed pages of tradition to the historical records of our nation... you took a prominent part in the defence of our country at the most critical period of the war... In the name of the County of Essex, I thank you."

Colchester Stop Line

During the war the town was ringed by over 120 pillboxes or other defensive structures as part of the Colchester Stop Line. A small number of pillboxes can still be found around the borough, such as at Mount Bures, and the Hythe railway station.

Colchester ''Blitz''

Air raid sirens sounded over 1000 times in Colchester during the course of the war. Colchester was attacked by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

on several occasions. They included: * Severalls Raid – On 11 August 1942 38 citizens were killed when a German plane dropped a stick of bombs on Severalls Hospital. * Chapel Street Raid – 8 citizens were killed when a Dornier 217 dropped four bombs on South Street and Essex Street on 28 September 1942. The air raid siren, in this case, only sounded after the bombs had already dropped, causing outcry in the town. * St Botolphs Raid – In February 1944 a large Luftwaffe firebombing raid dropped a stream of 1,400 incendiary bombs on the St Botolphs area of the town, destroying 14 buildings and seriously damaging 99 others. Two-thirds of the Paxman Britannia Works was destroyed during the raid.

anti-aircraft batteries were established on

Abbey Field Abbey Field is an urban settlement in Essex, adjacent to Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum ...

and engaged enemy aircraft 14 times during a 21-month period.

Americans in Colchester

The first American military personnel arrived in Britain in January 1942. A significant American presence was established in the Colchester area, with many air bases of the US

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces ...

located in the district – at Earls Colne, Langham, Wormingford, Messing, and Dedham. In accordance with racial segregation of the American military during World War II, the American Red Cross established several social clubs in the area.

Post-war

Headquarters Eastern District was established at Colchester in 1967, but, after a merger with North East District the enlarged district moved to Imphal Barracks in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

in 1992. A scheme to redevelop the garrison was procured under a

Private Finance Initiative The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating " public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 1 ...

contract in 2004. The works, which were designed by Atkins and built by

Sir Robert McAlpine Sir Robert McAlpine Limited is a family-owned building and civil engineering company based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It carries out engineering and construction in the infrastructure, heritage, commercial, arena and stadium, healthcare, educa ...

at a cost of £540 million, were completed in 2008.

Colchester Garrison today

Army vehicles, Colchester Garrison (geograph 4795971)

Regular Army

Colchester Garrison is currently home to the British Army's 16th Air Assault Brigade. The brigade has three air assault infantry battalions, two aviation regiments, one artillery regiment, and supporting units (engineer, signals, logistics, medical).

Army Reserve

Colchester has a tradition of its citizen volunteers serving in the Territorial Army, known now as the Army Reserve. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Colchester's "Terriers" included 2nd/5th Battalion Essex Regiment and 104th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (Essex Yeomanry). The Army Reserve is currently represented in Colchester by 161 Squadron 254 Medical Regiment, 36 (Eastern) Signal Squadron, 71 (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment and a troop from 202 Squadron,

158 Regiment RLC 158 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, is a reserve regiment of the British Army's Royal Logistic Corps. The Regiment's role is to provide logistical support to the Regular Army through its paired regular regiment, 7 Regiment RLC, as well as providing ...

Garrison Church

The old Garrison Church in Military Road was a former Crimean War era hospital, similar to those shipped in prefabricated sections to

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, i ...

at Scutari and Balaklava. It was built in 1856 and is the oldest surviving garrison building. The old Garrison Church has since become the home of the Parish of St John the Wonderworker, a parish of the Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). In Easter 2007, services transferred to a new church built situated behind the Community Centre, and was built as part of the ongoing regeneration of Colchester Garrison.

Barracks

Barracks include: * Merville Barracks (Gryphon Road) - Headquarters, 16 Air Assault Brigade; Garrison Headquarters, 216 Parachute Signal Squadron -

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

, 16 Close Support Medical Regiment -

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

, 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 7th Parachute Regiment -

, 13 Air Assault Support 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 Engin ...

, 18 Army Education Centre - Educational and Training Services Branch * Goojerat Barracks (Goojerat Road) - 156 Provost Company

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 operation ...

* Berechurch Hall Camp (Berechurch Hall Road) -

Military Corrective Training Centre Colchester Garrison is a major garrison located in Colchester in the county of Essex, Eastern England. It has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by Legio ...

* Territorial Army Centre (Circular Road East Lower) - Territorial Army units * The following former barracks are now considered to be part of Merville Barracks as they are no longer physically separate from the town centre barracks, and are all behind 1 perimeter fence ** Kirkee and McMunn Barracks (Reed Hall Avenue) ** Roman Barracks (Roman Way) previously known as Roman Way Camp (Roman Way)

Former barracks (not in use)

* Cavalry Barracks (Circular Road North) - former cavalry barracks, built between 1862 and 1863, occasionally used as a transit camp. The large parade ground of the Cavalry barracks served as the backdrop for the opening credits of '' Blackadder Goes Forth'' and in a scene in '' Monty Python's The Meaning of Life''. * Le Cateau Barracks (Le Cateau Road) - the former name of the Royal Artillery Barracks, built in 1874–1875, but named after the

Battle of Le Cateau The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on the Western Front during the First World War on 26 August 1914. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army had retreated after their defeats at the Battle of Charleroi (21–23 Aug ...

in 1914, in which the RA played a leading role. * Gymnasium (Circular Road South) - built in 1862 *Meeanee Barracks (Mersea Road) - Developed and restored as housing *

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

Barracks (Mersea Road) - Developed and restored as housing * Garrison Church (Military Road) - Now in civilian use by the Russian Orthodox church.

Former barracks (demolished)

* Sobraon Barracks (Circular Road South) - former infantry barracks, built 1900, demolished 1960s *

Military Hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

- Victorian building, demolished 1990s (Circular Road South) * Cherrytree camp (Cherrytree Lane) - the former home of 19 Brigade, in use until the 1960s - built before World War I as temporary accommodation for

, now a housing estate, it also has the Essex Army Cadet Force Weekend Training Centrel * Pool (Circular Road South)

Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC)

Berechurch Hall Camp is the home of the Armed Forces Military Corrective Training Centre which incorporates the Naval Detention Quarters and is the only dedicated military facility of its kind in the United Kingdom. It is not a prison, although it has a special unit for those who are being transferred to HM Prison Service to serve sentences of imprisonment awarded by Court Martial. Inmates are in three categories: * Those from the RN, RM, British Army and RAF who are to remain in the Services after sentence and will serve their detention in A Company. * Those from the RN, RM, British Army and RAF who are to be discharged after their sentence and will serve their detention in D Company. * Those held in military custody either awaiting the outcome of an investigation, or awaiting HM Prison or HM Young Offender Institute placement.

BFBS Radio

BFBS Radio now runs the radio broadcasting service for the area having won the contract from Garrison Radio.107 Garrison FM, Colchester, Wattisham, Bassingbourn and Woodbridge
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book , last = James , first = Brigadier E.A. , year = 1978 , title = British Regiments 1914–18 , publisher = Samson Books Limited , location = London , isbn = 0-906304-03-2

External links

16 Air Assault Brigade

2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

Military Corrective Training Centre

ARRSEpedia entry
Colchester (town) Installations of the British Army History of the British Army Military history of the United Kingdom during World War I Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II Military prisons 1794 establishments in England British Army Garrisons