Queen Elizabeth Barracks is a British Army installation in

Strensall Strensall is a village in the Strensall with Towthorpe civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England, on the River Foss north of York and north-east of Haxby. In 2001 the parish had a population of 3,81 ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England. It opened in the 1880s, and since 2016, it has been under threat of closure, but was reprieved in 2024.

History

Strensall Camp, which covers about and stretches to Towthorpe (to the west), was formed 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 1884 for training troops. The land that formed the

common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

and Lord's Moor itself was bought in 1876 for £300,000, from the then lord of the manor, Leonard Thompson and other landowners. This arrangement was made permanent in 1884 through the Strensall Common Act. The act was part of the response of the government to 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 ...

, a series of reforms of the British Army by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 designed to put the British Army on a more professional footing and to create reserve forces stationed around the country. The main purpose of the act was stated as: Though the Ministry of Defence exercises all legal rights over all of the training area, the Act of 1884 enshrines the rights of civilians to have common access rights when not in use for military purposes. When training commenced, it was home to up to 8,0000 soldiers under canvas, until permanent buildings were erected in 1880. The camp was an important mustering point for troops prior to mobilisation for 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 ...

. 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 camp was also the training ground for the local Haxby and Wiggington Home Guard. The barracks were renamed Queen Elizabeth Barracks in the 1950s, and went on to become the regional centre for infantry training as the

Yorkshire Brigade The Yorkshire Brigade was an administrative brigade formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The brigade administered the regular infantry regiments of Yorkshire, England. After the Second World War there were 14 infantry depots in Britai ...

Depot in 1960. This followed the 1957 Defence Review, that resulted in the amalgamation of a number of battalions and regiments, and the renaming of the Yorkshire and Northumberland Brigade to become simply the

. The barracks then became the depot of the

King's Division The King's Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for infantry regiments in the North of England. History The King's Division was formed in 1968 with the union of the Lancastrian Brigade, Yorks ...

in 1968, following the unification of the Yorkshire Brigade with the Lancastrian and North Irish Brigades. Recruit basic training included drill, weapons training, fieldcraft as well as recreational opportunities, before passing out. On 11 June 1974, the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

planted and exploded devices at the camp, though there was no loss of life.

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 2021. This was subsequently extended to 2024: however, an announcement in March 2024 stated that the base will be retained as a depot for the British Army's 2 Med Group.

Site details

The current site has capacity for a turnover of 120,000 accommodation spaces to be used in each training year. There is separate messing facilities for Junior Ranks, Senior Non Commissioned Officers and Officers. Other facilities include workshops, Motor Transport (MT) garage and offices. Entrance to the site is from Strensall Road which forms the western boundary of the camp. A number of sporting facilities are also on site and include grass pitches for football, rugby, hockey and cricket. Like a number of military establishments, the barracks has its own church; St Wilfred's. The geology of the site consists of a bedrock of Sherwood Sandstone. There are drift deposits that belong to the Sutton Sand Formation.

Current units

Current units based at the site are:

British Army

*Army Training Unit (North East) *Headquarters, 2nd Medical Brigade ** Medical Operational Support Group,

Royal Army Medical Service The Royal Army Medical Service (RAMS) is a specialist corps in the 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 Brigad ...

(V) ** 21 Multi-Role Medical Regiment, Royal Army Medical Service ** 306th Hospital Support Regiment, Royal Army Medical Service (V) ** 335th Medical Evacuation Regiment, Royal Army Medical Service (V) ** Central Reserve Headquarters, Royal Army Medical Service (V) ** Army Medical Service Training Centre

Cadets

*Headquarters, Yorkshire (North and West) Army Cadet Force *Strensall Detachment, B Company, Yorkshire (North and West) Army Cadet Force *4th Light Brigade Combat Team Cadet Training Team

References

{{reflist, 2 Installations of the British Army Barracks in England