Catterick Garrison
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| Catterick Garrison | |
|---|---|
| Population | 12,000 |
| OS grid reference | SE180980 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CATTERICK GARRISON |
| Postcode district | DL9 |
| Dialling code | 01748 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| UK Parliament | |
Catterick Garrison is a major Army base located in Northern England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population of around 12,000, plus a large temporary population of soldiers, and is larger than its older neighbour Catterick (also known locally as Catterick Village). It is said to be the largest army base in Europe
It is not a single fenced base, but several separate barracks around which a town has developed. The Garrison gained its first large supermarket, a Tesco, in 2000 along with a retail park including a McDonalds. The road signs have been changed to read "Town Centre" instead of "Camp Centre" (which is a roundabout). The Garrison houses both 4 Mech Bde and the Infantry Training Centre (Catterick) where all infantry soldiers receive their basic training. The Garrison has spread out to include four villages which are now almost (generally civilian-occupied) suburbs: Colburn, Scotton, Hipswell and Brough With St Giles
The siting of the Garrison was first recommended by Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement, in 1908 whilst he was based at the army barracks at that time located in Richmond Castle.[1] The original name of the base was Richmond Camp before being changed to Catterick Camp in 1915.
Under plans announced by the UK Ministry of Defence in November 2005 the population of Catterick Garrison is expected to grow to over 25,000 by 2020, making it the largest population centre in the local area.[2]
HQ School of Infantry, Infantry Training Centre
Catterick is the largest of three Infantry Training Centres in the UK. Infantry Training Centre (ITC) Catterick conducts infantry training combining Phase 1 and Phase 2 on the Combat Infantryman's Course (although junior soldiers destined for the infantry continue to receive Phase 1 training at Army Training Regiment at Bassingbourn and at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate).
Barracks
The Garrison is made of many different groups of buildings spread over a wide area and includes a number of individual barracks, most of which are named after historical British Army battles, many of which took place in Northern France during the First World War. They include:
- Waithwith Banks
- Gaza Barracks
- Megiddo Lines
- Cambrai Barracks, home to armoured unit.
- Bourlon Barracks, home to infantry unit
- Vimy Barracks, (HQ School of Infantry) named after the Battle of Vimy Ridge
- Helles Barracks, Home of 2ITB
- Harden Barracks, named for Henry Eric Harden VC
- Somme Barracks, named after the Battle of the Somme
- Helles Barracks, named for Cape Helles, Dardanelles
- Alma Barracks, named after the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War.
- Duchess of Kent's Barracks
- Piave Lines
- Wathgill Camp (6 miles from the Garrison and operated by the Defence Training Estate organisation which also operates and manages the 20,000-acre (81 km2) Training Area and Ranges adjacent to the Garrison. Address for Ref: Wathgill Camp, Downholme, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL11 6AH).
- Munster Barracks
Also included in the command of Catterick Garrison is Marne Barracks, located at the site of the former RAF Catterick alongside the A1 on the outskirts of Catterick Village.
Units based in Catterick
- 4 Mechanized Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (204 Signal Squadron)
- 1st Battalion, Scots Guards (Armoured Infantry)
- 1st Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire) (Light Role)
- 1st Battalion, The Duke Of Lancasters Regiment (Mechanised Infantry)
- The Queen's Royal Lancers
- 21 Engineer Regiment Royal Engineers
- 1st Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- ITC Catterick
- 1st Infantry Training Battalion
- 2nd Infantry Training Battalion
- 3rd support Battalion
Other units
- Beachhead Lines, 150 Provost Company, Royal Military Police, named after the Normandy Landings 1944. Although an RMP station owned by the MOD, the North Yorkshire Police & Ministry of Defence Police are also co-located here.
References
- ^ http://www.army.mod.uk/catterick_garrison/about_us/history/index.htm army.mod.uk
- ^ "Ministry's £1bn plan to upgrade garrison". The Northern Echo. 2005-11-30. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- Howard N. Cole The Story of Catterick Camp 1915-1972 Headquarters Catterick Garrison (1972)