Bulford Camp is a military camp on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

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 ...

, England. Established in 1897, the site continues in use as a large

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 ...

base. The camp is close to the village of Bulford and is about northeast of the town of

Amesbury Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settle ...

. The camp forms part of the Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford (TidNBul) Garrison.

History

The camp was built as a mixture of tents and huts in 1897. The section called Sling Camp was occupied by soldiers of the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

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 ...

. At the end of the war, the overcrowded camp was the site of the Battle of Bulford, when New Zealand troops staged a brief mutiny. Later, New Zealanders awaiting demobilization left their mark by creating the

Bulford Kiwi The Bulford Kiwi is a large depiction of a kiwi, carved in the chalk on Beacon Hill above the military town of Bulford on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It was created in 1919 by soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who were ...

, a large chalk figure on the hillside overlooking the camp. Permanent barracks were built during the inter-war years: the current names were applied in 1931. Carter Barracks, a hutted camp north of Bulford Droveway, beyond the northern boundary of the present site, were built in 1939-40 and demolished in 1978. Headquarters

South West District South West Delhi is one of the eleven administrative districts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India. Kapashera serves as the administrative headquarters of South West Delhi. South West Delhi is bounded by the districts of West De ...

was established at the camp in 1967, but was disbanded on the formation of HQ Land Command in 1995.

Today

The modern-day Bulford Camp is on two sites, separated by Marlborough Road, altogether about .Aspire Defence Capital Works,
Army Basing Programme: Bulford Garrison – Built Heritage Assessment
'. June 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2021. The eastern area contains Picton Barracks which since 1992 has housed the headquarters of 3rd (UK) Division and its Signals Regiment. Kiwi Barracks, where many of the streets are named after New Zealand towns, houses 3rd Regiment Royal Military Police. 5th Battalion

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...

moved to Bulford Camp from Germany in 2016. The western side contains Ward Barracks which houses the headquarters of

12th Armoured Infantry Brigade The 12th Armoured Brigade Combat team, formerly the 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade, is a regular brigade of the British Army which has been in almost continuous existence since 1899 and now forms part of 3rd Division (United Kingdom), 3rd (United ...

. The Headquarters of the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police is housed at Campion Lines which is also on the western side. The

Household Cavalry Regiment The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) is an Armoured Cavalry regiment of the British Army based in Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. It is the brother regiment of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) based at Hyde Park Barracks in London - both ...

moved from Combermere Barracks to Bulford Camp in May 2019. For administrative reasons, the camp falls under the command of

Headquarters South West Headquarters South West (HQ South West) is a Colonel's command of the British Army formed to oversee the area of South West England. Background Prior to 2012, the 43rd (Wessex) Brigade had overseen all army units and was the Regional Point ...

, based at

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 – Tedw ...

. The camp forms part of the Salisbury Plain 'Super Garrison'.Ministry of Defence,
Army Basing Programme: Salisbury Plain Masterplan
'. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2021.

Composition

The current camp includes the following units as of March 2021 (separated by barracks): *Kiwi Barracks **Headquarters, 3rd Regiment, Royal Military Police ***158 Provost Company, Royal Military Police *Picton Barracks **Headquarters,

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 the ...

**Headquarters,

25 (Close Support) Engineer Group 25 (Close Support) Engineer Group is an engineering group of the British Army's Corps of Royal Engineers. History The group was formed in 2014 under the Army 2020 programme. Current structure After the Army 2020 Refine, the group now has the f ...

** 3rd (United Kingdom) Divisional Signal Regiment,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

**1st Battalion,

Mercian Regiment The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infant ...

FOI(A) Response,
Information related to the Army 2020 Refine
'. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2020. * Ward Barracks **Headquarters,

4 Military Intelligence Battalion The 4th Military Intelligence Battalion (4 MI Bn) is a military intelligence unit of the British Army's Intelligence Corps, which provides close intelligence support to the headquarters for the only warfighting division in the army. History T ...

, Intelligence Corps **5th Battalion,

**''6 Platoon, B Company, 7th Battalion, The Rifles'' (Army Reserve) **19 Tank Transporter Squadron, 27 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps *Wing Barracks **Headquarters,

20th Armoured Infantry Brigade The 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team, previously the 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade, is an armoured infantry brigade formation of the British Army, currently headquartered at Wing Barracks, Bulford, Wiltshire, as part of the 3rd (United Kingdo ...

*Powle Lines **

*Campion Lines **Headquarters,

Special Investigation Branch Regiment Special Investigation Branch (SIB) was the name given to the detective branches of all three British military police arms: the Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and Royal Air Force Police. It was most closely associated with the Royal Mi ...

, Royal Military Police

Churches

The garrison church of St George was built in 1920–1927. Pevsner describes it as "large, Perpendicular, spick and span and smug". The Catholic church of Our Lady Queen of Peace was built in 1968, replacing a church of Our Lady of Victories which was opened in 1925.

Schools

Kiwi Primary School, under County Council control since 1948, serves the garrison from a building which was opened in 1965. The first school at the camp was opened in Wing Barracks before 1915, then transferred to the County Council in 1948 and renamed Wing County Junior School in 1955. In 1963 this school was combined with Kiwi Infants' County School to form the present Kiwi School. Until 1997 there was a second primary school, Haig County Primary School.

Former railway

In 1906 the Amesbury and Military Camp Light Railway was extended from into the garrison. The station within the garrison was the terminus for personnel while a goods track extended into Sling Camp. This extension was removed in 1933; the whole line closed to passengers in 1952 but goods services continued until 1963.