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. Colch ...

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 Grea ...

, Eastern England. It has been an important military base since the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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 Edwardia ...

. 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 fightin ...

several battalions of Kitchener's Army 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, alth ...

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 the ...

. 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 The King's German Legion (KGL; german: Des Königs Deutsche Legion, semantically erroneous obsolete German variations are , , ) was a British Army unit of mostly expatriated German personnel during the period 1803–16. The legion achieved ...

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 ...

. 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 The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II, serving with distinction in all three. ...

, ( 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 The Essex Yeomanry was a Reserve unit of the British Army that originated in 1797 as local Yeomanry Cavalry Troops in Essex. Reformed after the experience gained in the Second Boer War, it saw active service as cavalry in World War I and as ar ...

(EY), a cavalry regiment, was mobilised at the outbreak of war. The regiment joined the Royal Horse Guards 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 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 Bedfordshire Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army. Serving intermittently between 1797 and 1827, it was re-raised in 1901 for the Second Boer War. It participated in the First World War before being converted to an artillery re ...

. 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 Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

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 t ...

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).

=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 ...

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: ''Ice cooha''), more fully called the Newly Created Army ( ''Xinjian Lujun''Also translated as "Newly Established Army" ()), was the modernised ...

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

, the Suffolk Regiment, the

Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

, 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), b ...

, the

Cambridgeshire Regiment The Cambridgeshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, and was part of the Territorial Army. Originating in units of rifle volunteers formed in 1860, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Secon ...

, the Royal Fusiliers, 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 Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

, 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 Quee ...

, 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 (1916), the Battle of Cambrai (1917) and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line (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 28 ...

, 1st Battalion East Surrey Regiment, 1st Battalion

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

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 ...

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 Quee ...

, 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 area ...

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 reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

. 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 o ...

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 GPO may refer to: Government and politics * General Post Office, Dublin * General Post Office, in Britain * Social Security Government Pension Offset, a provision reducing benefits * Government Pharmaceutical Organization, a Thai state enterpris ...

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

pillbox Pillbox may refer to: * Pill organizer, a container for medicine * Pillbox hat, a woman's hat with a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim * Pillbox (military) A pillbox is a type of blockhouse, or concrete dug-in guard-post, norm ...

es 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 Mount Bures is a small village in England on the Essex and Suffolk borders. It takes its name from the mount or motte believed to have been built shortly after the invasion by William the Conqueror in 1066. The Gainsborough railway line that ...

, and the

Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada England * T ...

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-Fliegerabtei ...

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 Severalls Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Colchester, Essex, England. It was managed by the North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. History Early history The hospital was designed by Frank Whitmore, the county architect, ...

. * Chapel Street Raid – 8 citizens were killed when a

Dornier 217 The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber ...

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 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 located in the district – at

Earls Colne Earls Colne is a village in Essex, England named after the River Colne, on which it stands, and the Earls of Oxford who held the manor of Earls Colne from before 1086 to 1703. History Manor of Earls Colne In the time of Edward the Confess ...

, Langham,

Wormingford Wormingford is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. The ancient parish of Wormingford on the south bank of the River Stour, north- west of Colchester and south-east of Sudbury, Suffolk, covered 2,322 acres (929 hectares). The Stour ...

, 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 Imphal Barracks is a military installation located in Fulford, York, England. History Cavalry barracks were built in Fulford as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution and were completed in 1795 but these have now bee ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in 1992. A scheme to redevelop the garrison was procured under a Private Finance Initiative contract in 2004. The works, which were designed by

Atkins Atkins may refer to: Places in the United States * Atkins, Arkansas, a city * Atkins, Iowa, a city * Atkins, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * Atkins, Nebraska, an unincorporated community * Atkins, Virginia, a census-designated place * ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

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 71st (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment is an Army Reserve regiment in the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army. The regiment forms part of 11th Signal Brigade, providing military communications for national operations. History Th ...

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 Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Cri ...

. 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 Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco (russian: Иоанн Шанхайский и Сан Францисский, Ioann Shankhayskiyi i San Frantsiskyi; secular name Mikhail Borisovich Maximovitch, russian: Михаил Борисович Ма ...

, 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 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron is a squadron of the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals that is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems in support of the 16 Air ...

- Royal Corps of Signals, 16 Close Support Medical Regiment - Royal Army Medical 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 Engine ...

, 18 Army Education Centre -

Educational and Training Services Branch The Educational and Training Services form part of the Adjutant General's Corps and have done since 1992 when this Corps of the British Army was formed. Their remit is to continue the general education of soldiers and officers alike, as well as t ...

* 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 operations ...

* 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 XX V ...

* 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 Khadki is a cantonment in the city of Pune, India. It has now flourished as a quasi-metropolis & centered in the northern region of the city. Description Khadki could be considered an Indian Army base, along with an ordnance factory consisting ...

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 ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' is the fourth series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC1. The series placed the recurring characters of Blackadder, Bald ...

'' and in a scene in ''

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life ''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'', also known simply as ''The Meaning of Life'', is a 1983 British musical sketch comedy film written and performed by the Monty Python troupe, directed by Terry Jones. ''The Meaning of Life'' was the last f ...

''. * 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, in the northern part of Southern India ...

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 Sobraon is a village in Punjab, India. It is located west to Harike village in Tarn Taran district. The Sutlej river is to the south of this village. The village is located at 31°10'39N 74°51'10E with an altitude of 192 metres (633 feet). H ...

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 Kitchener's Army, 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 His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and Wale ...

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