Headquarters South West (HQ South West) is a Colonel's command of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

formed to oversee the area of

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...

Background

Prior to 2012, the 43rd (Wessex) Brigade had overseen all army units and was the Regional Point of Command (RPC) of the British Army in

. However, in 2014, under the Army 2020 programme, 43rd (Wessex) Brigade was absorbed into 1st Artillery Brigade, which had been based at the Airfield Camp,

Netheravon Netheravon is a village and civil parish on the River Avon and A345 road, about north of the town of Amesbury in Wiltshire, South West England. It is within Salisbury Plain. The village is on the right (west) bank of the Avon, opposite Fit ...

since 2005. 43rd Brigade therefore became an integral part of the newly redesignated 1st Artillery Brigade and Headquarters South West. Following this reorganisation, Headquarters South West was established under the command of the Chief of Staff (2nd in command) of 1st Artillery Brigade & HQ South West.

Formation

In 2014, the new command was stood up and established its headquarters at Jellalabad Barracks,

Tidworth Camp Tidworth Camp is a military installation at Tidworth in Wiltshire, England. It forms part of the Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford (TidNBul) Garrison. History The Camp was established when the War Office acquired a 19th-century mansion – Ted ...

alongside the new brigade's location. The new headquarters oversaw the region overseen by 43rd (W) Brigade prior to its redesignation, which included the following:

City and County of Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Devonshire Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, and

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. In addition to the counties which were overseen by the headquarters, some of the Army's largest garrisons form part of the region, including Blandford Garrison; Tidworth, Netheravon, and Bulford Garrison; Corsham Station; and Wyvern Station. Following a reorganisation of

Force Troops Command Force Troops Command was a combat support and combat service support command of the British Army. Its headquarters was at Upavon, Wiltshire. It was formed in 2013 as a re-designation of the previous Headquarters Theatre Troops. Force Troops Comma ...

in August 2019, the 1st Artillery Brigade dropped its regional responsibilities and joined

3rd (United Kingdom) Division The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War, and was known as th ...

. Thenceforth, Headquarters South West became an independent formation under control of Regional Command.

Service

The commander who holds the title of 'Commander, Headquarters South West' is also designated as 'Director

Ten Tors Ten Tors is an annual weekend hike in early May, on Dartmoor, southwest England. Organised by the British Army, starting in 1960, it brings together teams of six young people each, with the 2,400 young participants hiking to checkpoints on ten s ...

', which is an annual hike held in

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous P ...

. On 16 October 2020, Headquarters South West was awarded the

Firmin Sword of Peace The Firmin Sword of Peace (previously known as the Wilkinson Sword of Peace) is an award given to units of the British Armed Forces for activities above and beyond the unit's normal role that improve relations with the community, either within the ...

by HM Queen Elizabeth II and

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educa ...

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

following its support to the

City of Salisbury The City of Salisbury is a local government area (LGA) located on the northern fringes of Adelaide, South Australia. It had population of 137,979 people in 2016 and encompasses an area of 158 km². The council's main offices are situated in ...

after the

poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal On 4 March 2018, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were poisoned in the city of Salisbury, England. According to UK sources and the Organi ...

in March 2018.

Organisation

The administrative organisation of the headquarters is as follows: * Headquarters South West, at Jellalabad Barracks,

** Headquarters South West Personnel Recovery Unit, at

Wyvern Barracks Wyvern Barracks is a military installation on Topsham Road in Exeter. History The site was established as an artillery barracks for the Board of Ordnance under the name of Topsham Barracks around 1800. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based ...

, Exeter ** Bristol University Officers' Training Corps (Army Reserve), at the Artillery Grounds,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

** Exeter University Officers' Training Corps (Army Reserve), at Wyvern Barracks, Exeter ** Headquarters South West Cadet Training Team, at Airfield Camp, Netheravon ** City and County of Bristol Army Cadet Force, in Keynsham ** Cornwall Army Cadet Force, in Bodmin ** Devon Army Cadet Force, in Exeter ** Dorset Army Cadet Force, in Dorchester ** Gloucestershire Army Cadet Force, in Cheltenham ** Somerset Army Cadet Force, at Jellalabad Barracks,

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

** Wiltshire Army Cadet Force, at

Le Marchant Barracks Le Marchant Barracks is a former military installation in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The site is within the town's built-up area but within Bishops Cannings parish, on London Road about north-east of the centre of the town. History The barrac ...

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between ...

Explanatory notes

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References

British Army Regional Points of Command Military units and formations established in 2014