Shackleton Barracks is a former British military installation at Ballykelly in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

History

The site formerly known as

RAF Ballykelly Royal Air Force Ballykelly or more simply RAF Ballykelly is a former Royal Air Force station which opened in 1941 in Ballykelly, County Londonderry. It closed in 1971 when the site was handed over to the British Army as Shackleton Barracks. A sm ...

was handed over to 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 ...

as Shackleton Barracks on 2 June 1971. Battalion HQ and HQ Company of the 5th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment arrived there shortly after the barracks opened. During

Operation Demetrius Operation Demetrius was a British Army operation in Northern Ireland on 9–10 August 1971, during the Troubles. It involved the mass arrest and internment (imprisonment without trial) of people suspected of being involved with the Irish Republi ...

, between 1971 and 1972, the facilities operated as an interrogation centre where torture techniques were alleged to have been used. The village of Ballykelly suffered badly in 1982 with the

Droppin Well bombing The Droppin Well bombing or Ballykelly bombing occurred on 6 December 1982, when the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) detonated a time bomb at a disco in Ballykelly, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The disco, known as the Droppin ...

which resulted in the loss of eighteen lives including both local civilians and soldiers from Shackleton Barracks. 5th Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment moved out in 1992. The camp became the HQ of 8th Infantry Brigade in October 2003 and the brigade remained there until it was disbanded and responsibility handed over to HQ 39th Infantry Brigade at

Thiepval Barracks Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, County Antrim, is the headquarters of the British Army in Northern Ireland and its 38th (Irish) Brigade. History The barracks were built in 1940. They are named after the village of Thiepval in Northern France, an im ...

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

on 1 September 2006. It was then home to an infantry battalion - 2nd Battalion

Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (or PWRR, also known as 'The Tigers') is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Qu ...

. The British Army vacated Shackleton Barracks in March 2008 when 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment moved to

Royal Artillery Barracks Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, is a barracks of the British Army which forms part of Woolwich Garrison. The Royal Regiment of Artillery had its headquarters here from 1776 until 2007, when it was moved to Larkhill Garrison. History In 17 ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

. Some of land and 420 buildings were subsequently offered for sale.

References

{{reflist Installations of the British Army Barracks in Northern Ireland Torture in the United Kingdom Internment camps during the Troubles (Northern Ireland)