The Port Hill drill hall was a military installation in Hertford, Hertfordshire.

History

The building was designed as the headquarters of the 1st (Hertfordshire) Volunteer Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment and was completed at a cost of £2,000 in 1898. This unit evolved to become the Hertfordshire Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment in 1908 and then the 1st Battalion, The

Hertfordshire Regiment The Hertfordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army. Originating in units of Rifle Volunteers formed in 1859, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Second Wor ...

in 1909. The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Western Front. Approximately 100,000 rounds of ammunition were stored in the drill hall at that time ready for issue to soldiers who were about to see action in 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 ...

. The battalion was still located at the drill hall when it was mobilised for service in 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 ...

. The battalion was absorbed into the

3rd East Anglian Regiment The 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. History As a result of the 1957 Defence Review, the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment amalga ...

in 1958. However the British Army continued to maintain a presence at Port Hill drill hall, for the training of both Territorial Army personnel and of cadets. Nevertheless, the drill hall eventually became surplus to requirements: it was decommissioned and subsequently demolished and, in 2003, a new residential development, which won the 2004/2005 Civic Design Award, was created in its place.

References

{{reflist Drill halls in England Buildings and structures in Hertford