Dale Barracks is a

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 at Moston near

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

, England. It is home to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment. It is scheduled to close in 2029.

History

The barracks are situated in the grounds of Moston Hall, a house built in 1789 for Richard Massey. The house was acquired by the Swetenham family who sold it to the Lockett family in 1918. 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 ...

, the house was used as a military hospital. The rest of the site was occupied by a house known as The Dale which was built in the 1880s and was bought by the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

in 1938. The Dale became the depot of the

Cheshire Regiment The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence ...

who arrived from

Chester Castle Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls. The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining par ...

in 1939. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Machine Gun Training Centre was established here. After the war, it became a Primary Training Centre for the Infantry. Between 1956 and 1987, it was part of Western Command and home to 165 Western Command Provost Company (RMP); part of the Dale was also used for civilian purposes as a secure asylum before it was returned to military use as the officer's mess for the barracks of the 1st Battalion the King's Regiment. The 1st Battalion

Royal Welsh The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) () is an Infantry, armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers, Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales, Royal Regiment of Wales ...

moved out of the barracks in April 2014, and the 2nd 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 ...

arrived in July 2014. The 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment then left in Summer 2018 and was replaced by 1st Battalion The

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The ...

, which arrived in November 2018. The 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment left the barracks in August 2022, moving to Episkopi. They will be based at Weeton Barracks on their return to the UK. The barracks is currently home to the Army's "Experimentation Battalion", the 2nd Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment (2 ROYAL YORKS). They have been based here since Summer 2022, after they returned from Episkopi.

Future

In November 2016, the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

announced that the site would close in 2023. This was later extended to not be before 2027, and once more to 2029.

References

{{reflist Barracks in England Installations of the British Army