Kimberley Barracks is a military installation on Deepdale Road in Preston in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

PR1 6PR.

Naming

The name of the barracks is based on the

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

won by the

Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) 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 Reg ...

when it was besieged by Boer forces during the

Siege of Kimberley The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try ...

. The regiment was able to hold the town for four months and one day until the siege was lifted. The regiment was posthumously awarded the battle honour 'Defence of Kimberley'. From December 1925 the regiment maintained a formal alliance with the

Kimberley Regiment The Kimberley Regiment is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. History Volunteer Forces on the Diamon ...

, which has continued into 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 Du ...

History

The barracks were established 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 opposin ...

and were initially used to accommodate the 5th County of Lancaster (Preston County) Battalion,

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 wi ...

. After the reformation of the Territorial Army (TA) in 1947, the role of Kimberley Barracks expanded. Three

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 ...

units were based here, including:Johnson * Headquarters, 93rd (Anti-Aircraft) Army Group, Royal ArtilleryLitchfield, p. 329. ** 597th (Loyals) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery From 1967, a Troop from 202 Training Squadron, Royal Engineers ( 73 Engineer Regiment) was based at the location. This troop was disbanded in 1999 following the reorganisation of 73 Engineer Regiment. Following the formation of the 4th (Volunteer) Battalion,

Queen's Lancashire Regiment The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (30th, 40th, 47th, 59th, 81st and 82nd Regiments of Foot) (QLR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 25 March 1970 at Connaught Barracks in Dover through ...

on 1 April 1975, Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company were based at the barracks. After the battalion's disbandment and subsequent absorption into the

Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers The Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers was a Territorial Army unit of the British Army. It was formed on 1 July 1999 following the Strategic Defence Review by the amalgamation of the 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Queen's Lancashire Regiment and the ...

in 1999, the new regiment established its Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters (Quebec) Company at the location. In 2004 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 ...

launched an investigation over the release of a photo showing an 'Iraqi prisoner' being urinated on by

soldiers, apparently done on the premises. By 2007, D (Waterloo) (Queen's Lancashire) Company, Lancashire and Cumbrian Volunteers had its company headquarters and 2 Rifle Platoons at the barracks. In 2007, the Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers became 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. The Battalion HQs and HQ Company continue to be the only units based at the location to this day. In November 2016, the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

announced Fulwood Barracks (located in the North of town) would close by 2022. In February 2019 the decision to cut the barracks was pushed back to 2027, which will leave Kimberley as the only barracks in Preston.

Current units

Today only a small garrison of troops are located at the barracks, consisting of the following.

* Battalion Headquarters,

4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers was a Territorial Army (United Kingdom), Territorial Army unit of the British Army. It was formed on 1 July 1999 following the Strategic Defence Review by the amalgamation of the 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Q ...

(Army Reserve) * Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (Army Reserve) *5 Platoon, B (Somme) Company, 4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (Army Reserve)

Community Cadet Forces The Community Cadet Forces is a term used by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD) to group together the Sea Cadets and Volunteer Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps. Together with the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) they const ...

* Preston Detachment, Lancashire

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and the British Army. Along with the Sea Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps, the ACF mak ...

*341 (City of Preston) Squadron, Cumbria and Lancashire Wing,

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...

Notes

Footnotes

References