MoD Bicester
Bicester, Oxfordshire
Entrance at DE&S Bicester
MoD Bicester is located in Oxfordshire
MoD Bicester
MoD Bicester
Coordinates51°52′44″N 1°08′49″W / 51.87881°N 1.14682°W / 51.87881; -1.14682
TypeStorage and Distribution Centre
Barracks
Site information
Open to
the public
No
Site history
Built1942 (1942)
In use1942Present
Garrison information
Occupants1 Regiment RLC

MoD Bicester is a large military installation consisting of two barracks and a storage and distribution centre, just outside Bicester in Oxfordshire. The St David's Barracks part of the base, home to 1 Regiment RLC, is set to close in 2028.

History

COD Bicester prior to D-Day, 1944.

The site dates back to September 1942, when a depot was constructed near Bicester to provide logistical support for operations in Europe during the Second World War.[1] In 1961 the ordnance depots at Didcot and Branston were closed and a Central Ordnance Depot was created at Bicester.[1] Between 1980 and 1982, the ordnance depots at Chilwell and Ruddington were also closed, resulting in an increased role for the remaining central ordnance depots at Bicester and Donnington.[1] The depot became known as the Defence Storage and Distribution Centre in April 1999.[1] The base is serviced by the Bicester Military Railway.[1]

A bomb disposal training base, built at a cost of circa £100 million and including a cave complex, a dive pool and roadways was established at St George's Barracks on the site in March 2013.[2]

In September 2014, 23 Pioneer Regiment, which had been based at St David's Barracks on the site since the 1940s, was disbanded.[3]

1 Regiment RLC moved from Gütersloh in Germany to St David's Barracks at Bicester in 2016.[4]

Current units

Units based at the site include:[5]

St David’s Barracks

Royal Logistic Corps

  • 1 Regiment
    • 74 Headquarters Squadron
    • 23 General Support Squadron
    • 12 Close Support Squadron
    • 2 Close Support Squadron
    • REME Light Aid Detachment

St George’s Barracks

Royal Engineers

  • Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Munitions, and Search (DEMS) Training Regiment[6]

Future

The St David's Barracks portion is earmarked for disposal, with a closure date of 2028.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bicester Military Railway". Bicester Local History Society. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  2. "Bicester bomb disposal training base opens". BBC. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  3. "Disbanded 23 Pioneer Regiment in final parade". BBC. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  4. "Future of British Army bases in Germany Revealed" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  5. "1 Regiment RLC | The British Army".
  6. "British Army - DEFENCE EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL, MUNITIONS AND SEARCH - DEMS TRAINING REGIMENT". 30 September 2023.
  7. "Is Your Military Base Closing? Read The Full List Of Sites Shutting". Forces News. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.