The regimental depot of a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

is its home base for recruiting and

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

. It is also where

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

and officers awaiting

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

or postings are based and where injured soldiers return to full fitness after discharge from hospital before returning to full duty. Normally, a variety of regimental stores will also be kept at the depot. The regimental depot is not the same as the regimental headquarters (where the main officers' mess and certain central functions are based), though in practice the two will often be co-located in the same place.

United Kingdom

In a military dictionary of 1802, the word Depot is given multiple meanings: primarily it is said to describe 'any particular place in which military stores are deposited for the use of the army'; but 'it also signifies an appropriated fort, or place, for the reception of recruits, or detached parties, belonging to different regiments'. At that time Maidstone Barracks served as depot for the British Cavalry; while the depot for the Infantry (established at Chatham Barracks in the 1770s) had moved in 1801 to

Albany Barracks Albany Barracks (formerly Parkhurst Barracks) was a military installation on the Isle of Wight. History Construction of the barracks, which were originally named Parkhurst Barracks after the forest where they were located, was completed in Septe ...

on the Isle of Wight. Later, the depot at Maidstone served specifically as a recruitment centre for cavalry regiments stationed in India (and in 1830 a similar arrangement was established at Chatham for infantry regiments stationed in India and New South Wales). A second Cavalry Depot was later established at

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

; in 1865 the Maidstone depot closed and Canterbury alone then served as home depot for the cavalry regiments overseas (with additional accommodation provided when necessary in Colchester). In 1897 the Cavalry Depot at Canterbury was closed, with responsibility for recruitment devolving on the home-based regiments (which began to be affiliated with regiments serving overseas for the purpose of recruitment).

List of UK Infantry Regimental Depots in the 1880s

A list of

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are ...

in Britain and Ireland, either designated or ''newly built'' to serve as localization depots for infantry regiments in the wake of the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attentio ...

of the 1870s and the Childers Reforms which followed. * '' Caterham Barracks, Surrey'' ( Foot Guard regiments) * Glencorse Barracks, Midlothian ( Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)) * '' Stoughton Barracks, Guildford'' ( Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)) *

Canterbury Barracks Howe Barracks was a military installation in Canterbury in Kent. History Permanent barracks were first established in Canterbury when William Baldock initiated construction of "St Gregory’s Barracks", an infantry barracks on Sturry Road, as pa ...

( Buffs (East Kent Regiment)) * '' Bowerham Barracks, Lancaster'' ( King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)) * Fenham Barracks, Newcastle upon Tyne ( Northumberland Fusiliers &

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and ...

) * '' Budbrooke Barracks, Warwick'' ( Royal Warwickshire Regiment) * Hounslow Barracks ( Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) & The (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Middlesex Regiment) * '' Peninsula Barracks, Warrington'' ( King's (Liverpool Regiment) & Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment)) * '' Britannia Barracks, Norwich'' ( Norfolk Regiment) * '' Sobraon Barracks, Lincoln'' ( The Lincolnshire Regiment) * Topsham Barracks, Exeter ( Devonshire Regiment) * '' Gibraltar Barracks, Bury St Edmunds'' ( Suffolk Regiment) * '' Jellalabad Barracks, Taunton'' ( Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry)) * '' Imphal Barracks, York'' ( Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment)) * '' Victoria Barracks, Beverley'' (

East Yorkshire Regiment The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...

) * '' Kempston Barracks'' ( Bedfordshire Regiment) * '' Glen Parva Barracks'' ( Leicestershire Regiment) * Victoria Barracks, Clonmel ( The Royal Irish Regiment) * '' Richmond Barracks, North Yorkshire'' (

Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under variou ...

) *

Wellington Barracks, Bury Wellington Barracks was a military installation on Bolton Road in Bury, Greater Manchester. History The barracks were completed as part of the response to the Chartist riots in 1845. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was in ...

(

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 ...

) * Ayr Barracks ( Royal Scots Fusiliers) * Chester Castle ( Cheshire Regiment) * '' Hightown Barracks, Wrexham'' ( Royal Welch Fusiliers) *

The Barracks, Brecon The Barracks, Watton is a military installation in Brecon in Wales. History The original barracks, which were constructed of red brick, were built at the Watton in 1805 and then extended in 1813.Tones, p. 126 In 1873, as part of the Cardwell R ...

(

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...

) * Berwick Barracks ( King's Own Borderers) * Hamilton Barracks ( The Cameronians (Scotch Rifles)) *

St Lucia Barracks, Omagh St Lucia Barracks, Omagh is a former military base in Omagh, Northern Ireland. History The War Office leased the site from the Archdale family on 10 April 1875 for sixty pounds per annum. The lease was made for 999 years or until the War Offic ...

(

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment ...

) * Horfield Barracks, Bristol (

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

) * '' Norton Barracks'' (

Worcestershire Regiment The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment ...

) * Burnley Barracks (

East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a Line infantry, line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59t ...

) * '' The Barracks, Kingston upon Thames'' ( East Surrey Regiment) *

Victoria Barracks, Bodmin Victoria Barracks was a military installation in Bodmin, Cornwall. History The barracks originally comprised a keep, adjoining stables and a parade ground completed in 1859. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was institute ...

(

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd ( ...

) * '' Wellesley Barracks, Halifax'' ( Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)) * Carlisle Castle ( Border Regiment) * ''

The Barracks, Chichester Roussillon Barracks was a military installation in Chichester. History The barracks were originally established as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution in tented accommodation in 1795 and were enhanced by the use ...

'' (

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot ...

) * Lower Barracks, Winchester (

Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The re ...

) * '' Whittington Barracks, Lichfield'' (

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot ...

& ( The (Prince of Wales's) North Staffordshire Regiment) * '' Dorchester Depot Barracks'' ( Dorsetshire Regiment) * Maindy Barracks, Cardiff ( Welch Regiment) * Queen's Barracks, Perth (

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regim ...

) * '' Bullingdon Barracks, Cowley'' ( Oxfordshire Light Infantry) * Warley Barracks ( Essex Regiment) * '' Normanton Barracks, Derby'' ( Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment)) * Fulwood Barracks, Preston (

Loyal North Lancashire Regiment The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Re ...

) * Northampton Barracks (

Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's O ...

) * '' Brock Barracks, Reading'' ( Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Berkshire Regiment)) * Maidstone Barracks ( Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)) * '' Pontefract Barracks'' ( King's Own Light Infantry (South Yorkshire Regiment) &

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment o ...

) * '' Copthorne Barracks, Shrewsbury'' The King's Light Infantry (Shropshire Regiment) * Upper Barracks, Winchester (

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United S ...

& The Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade) * '' Le Marchant Barracks, Devizes'' ( The (Duke of Edinburgh's) Wiltshire Regiment) * Ladysmith Barracks, Manchester (

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96t ...

) * Garrioch Barracks, Glasgow (

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fu ...

) * Fort George, Ardersier ( Seaforth Highlanders (Duke of Albany's/Ross-shire Buffs)) * Castlehill Barracks, Aberdeen ( Gordon Highlanders) * Cameron Barracks, Inverness ( Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) * Victoria Barracks, Belfast ( Royal Irish Rifles) * Gough Barracks, Armagh ( Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers)) * Castlebar Barracks (

Connaught Rangers The Connaught Rangers ("The Devil's Own") was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army formed by the amalgamation of the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) (which formed the ''1st Battalion'') and the 94th Regiment of Foot (w ...

) * Stirling Castle ( Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)) * Birr Barracks ( Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)) * Ballymullen Barracks, Tralee ( Royal Munster Fusiliers) * Naas Barracks (

Royal Dublin Fusiliers The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was an Irish infantry Regiment of the British Army created in 1881, one of eight Irish regiments raised and garrisoned in Ireland, with its home depot in Naas. The Regiment was created by the amalgamation of two Bri ...

)

List of UK Cavalry Regimental Depots in the 1910s

A list of barracks in Britain and Ireland designated to serve as depots for cavalry regiments. * The Cavalry Depot at Howe Barracks *No.1 (Eastern) Cavalry Depot later No.1 (Lancers) Cavalry Depot at Shrapnel Barracks, Woolwich (

5th Royal Irish Lancers The 5th Royal Irish Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War. It amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to become the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922. History Early w ...

, the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, the 12th Royal Lancers, the 16th The Queen's Lancers, the

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regime ...

and the 21st Lancers) *No.2 (Irish) Cavalry Depot later No.2 (Hussars) Cavalry Depot at Richmond Barracks, Dublin ( 4th Queen's Own Hussars, the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, the

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 ...

and the 13th Hussars) *No.3 (Northern) Cavalry Depot later No.3 (Hussars) Cavalry Depot at

Burniston Barracks Burniston Barracks was a military installation on Burniston Road in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. History The barracks were built as a training base for the Royal Artillery and were completed in 1861. The barracks were reallocated for w ...

( 10th Royal Hussars, the 14th King's Hussars, the 18th Royal Hussars and the

20th Hussars The 20th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. After service in the First World War it was amalgamated with the 14th King's Hussars to form became the 14th/20th King's Hussars in 1922. History Early wars The regiment was originally ...

) *No.4 (Western) Cavalry Depot later No.4 (Dragoons) Cavalry Depot at Newport Barracks ( 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays), the

3rd Dragoon Guards The 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1751 and the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) ...

, the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, the

Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) The Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1685 as the Lord Lumley's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as His Majesty's 1st Regiment of Carabiniers in 1740, the 3rd Regiment of Horse (Carabi ...

, the

7th Dragoon Guards The 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1688 as Lord Cavendish's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards for Princess Charlotte in 1788. ...

and the

6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. One of the regiment's most notable battles was the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. It became t ...

) *No.5 (Southern) Cavalry Depot later No.5 (Hussars) Cavalry Depot at Horfield Barracks ( 3rd The King's Own Hussars, the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, the

15th The King's Hussars The 15th The King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 19th Royal Hussars into the 15th/19th The King's Roy ...

and the 19th Royal Hussars) *No.6 (Scottish) Cavalry Depot later No.6 (Dragoons) Cavalry Depot at Castle Park Barracks ( 1st King's Dragoon Guards, the 5th Dragoon Guards, the 1st Royal Dragoons and the

2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The regiment's history began in 16 ...

)

French Army

In the French Royal Army and Imperial Army, in addition to many of the empire's many puppet states, a ''dépôt'' was a battalion in size and would provided drafts to the regular 'field battalions' on a regular basis. If mobilised, the depot itself would become field battalion lead by the depot's 2nd in command, typically a senior

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. Each depot battalion comprised 4 x companies and was commanded by a Major.Haythornthwaite, p. 4

Footnotes

References