Minden Barracks was a military

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 u ...

located in the south-eastern town of

Gelugor Gelugor is a southern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Named after a plant species, Gelugor lies along the eastern seaboard of Penang Island, between Jelutong and Sungai Dua, and nearly south of the city centre. Gelugor had been po ...

Northeast Penang Island District The Northeast Penang Island District ( ms, Daerah Timur Laut Pulau Pinang) is a district within the Malaysian state of Penang. The district covers the northeastern half of Penang Island, including the centre of George Town, Penang's capital city ...

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It was operational from 1939 to 1971 and the site now houses the main campus of

Universiti Sains Malaysia Universiti Sains Malaysia ( 'Science University of Malaysia'; abbreviated as USM) is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is among the oldest institutes of higher l ...

History

Early history

The site of the Minden Barracks was formerly occupied by Glugor House, a

plantation house A plantation house is the main house of a plantation, often a substantial farmhouse, which often serves as a symbol for the plantation as a whole. Plantation houses in the Southern United States and in other areas are known as quite grand and e ...

of the Browns, a wealthy Scottish family who owned a

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

and

clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...

plantation in the area. Penang_Museum_historical_painting_K127b

World War II

In 1939, Glugor House was converted into a barracks and renamed the Glugor Barracks and originally housed the 8th (Singapore) Heavy Battery of the Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery. The barracks was abandoned with the British withdrawal from Penang on December 17, 1941 during the

Battle of Malaya The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles betwee ...

of 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 was occupied by the Japanese forces during the duration of the war.

Malayan Emergency

It was re-occupied by the

West Yorkshire Regiment ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) wa ...

after the

Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

until 1948 when the 1st Battalion of the

Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somerset and Cornwall ...

was housed there during the onset of the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

. The barracks was renamed Minden Barracks in July 1950 in honour of the

Battle of Minden The Battle of Minden was a major engagement during the Seven Years' War, fought on 1 August 1759. An Anglo-German army under the overall command of Prussian Field Marshal Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of Fr ...

, a 1759 battle of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

that saw the participation of 51st Regiment of Foot (the antecedent regiment of the 'KOYLIs'). In 1951, the barracks became the home of the 1st Battalion of the

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 96th ...

and in 1955 the barracks became the home of the 1st Battalion of the

Royal Australian Regiment The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a t ...

until the decommissioning of the barracks in 1971. In 1957, the barracks was sold to the government of the newly independent

Federation of Malaya The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...

for one

Malayan Dollar The Malayan dollar ( Malay: ''ringgit'', Jawi: رڠڬيت) was the currency of the British colonies and protectorates in Malaya and Brunei until 1953. It was introduced in 1939, replacing the Straits dollar at par, with 1 dollar = two shillings ...

but continued to house troops of the

Overseas Commonwealth Land Forces (Malaya) The 17th Gurkha Division/Overseas Commonwealth Land Forces (Malaya) was a British military formation that saw active service during the Malayan Emergency. History The Division was formed on 1 September 1952 at Maxwell Road Camp, Malaya, as part ...

including the 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) from April 1962 to December 1964 which became the 1st Battalion,

Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...

in 1966. The barracks also housed the British Army Children's School until 1971.

Today

The barracks was de-commissioned in 1971 and the campus of

was moved to the site. Today the main campus of the university remains in the same location (since renamed Minden).

Historical units

This is an incomplete list of units stationed in the Minden Barracks from 1939 to 1971. * 8th (Singapore) Heavy Battery, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery (1939–1941) : redesignated as the 11th Coastal Battery, HKSRA in March 1941 * 1st Bn, West Yorkshire Regiment (1945–1948) * 1st Bn, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (1948–1951) * 1st Bn, Manchester Regiment (1951–1955) * 1st Bn, Royal Australian Regiment * 2nd Bn, Royal Australian Regiment * 3rd Bn, Royal Australian Regiment * 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) (1962-1964) * 2nd Green Jackets (KRRC)/2nd Bn Royal Green Jackets (1964-1966)

References

{{reflist, 2 Military history of Malaysia Forts in Malaysia Buildings and structures in Penang