The Queen Katherine Street drill hall, sometimes known as the Aynam Road drill hall is a military installation located in Queen Katherine Street, off Aynam Road, in Kendal,

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

, England.

History

The building was designed as the base for the Westmorland-based companies (F and G Companies) of the 1st Volunteer Battalion, The

Border Regiment The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After service i ...

and was built in the late 19th century. These companies became part of the 4th (Cumberland and Westmorland) Battalion, The Border Regiment in 1908. The companies were mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. A Squadron,

Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry The Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry was a Yeomanry Cavalry regiment of the British Army with its origins in 1798. The regiment provided troops for the Imperial Yeomanry during the Second Boer War and served on the Western Front in World War I ...

and the 3rd West Lancashire Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps were also based at the drill hall. After the Strand Road drill hall in Carlisle closed, the Queen Katherine Street drill hall became the headquarters for the whole battalion. The presence at the drill was reduced to a single company, D (The Westmorland) Company, 4th (Territorial) Battalion, The Border Regiment in 1967. This unit evolved to become B (4th Border Regiment) Company, Northumbrian Volunteers in 1971, C Company, 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, The

King's Own Royal Border Regiment The King's Own Royal Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1959 until 2006, and was part of the King's Division. It was formed at Barnard Castle on 1 October 1959 through the amalgamation of the King's Ow ...

in 1975 and B Company, 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, The King's Own Royal Border Regiment in 1988. The presence at the drill was further reduced to a mortar platoon in 1992 and ceased altogether in 1999.

Current units

Current units at the site are: *Kendal Detachment, Cumbria

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 ...

*1127 (Kendal) Squadron, Cumbria & 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 ...

References

{{reflist, 30em Drill halls in England Buildings and structures in Cumbria Kendal