Dale Barracks
| Dale Barracks | |
|---|---|
| Chester | |
  Dale Barracks Location within Cheshire | |
| Coordinates | 53°13′31″N 02°53′42″W / 53.22528°N 2.89500°W |
| Type | Barracks |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator |  British Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1939 |
| In use | 1939-1956 1987-Present |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | 2nd Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment |
Dale Barracks is a British Army base at Moston near Chester, England. It is home to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment. It is scheduled to close in 2029.
History
[edit]The barracks are situated in the grounds of Moston Hall, a house built in 1789 for Richard Massey.[1] The house was acquired by the Swetenham family who sold it to the Lockett family in 1918.[2] During the First World War, the house was used as a military hospital.[3][4]
The rest of the site was occupied by a house known as The Dale which was built in the 1880s and was bought by the War Office in 1938.[2] The Dale became the depot of the Cheshire Regiment who arrived from Chester Castle in 1939.[5]
During the Second World War, the Machine Gun Training Centre was established here. After the war, it became a Primary Training Centre for the Infantry.[5]
Between 1956 and 1987, it was part of Western Command and home to 165 Western Command Provost Company (RMP);[6][7] part of the Dale was also used for civilian purposes as a secure asylum before it was returned to military use as the officer's mess for the barracks of the 1st Battalion the King's Regiment.[5]
The 1st Battalion Royal Welsh moved out of the barracks in April 2014,[8] and the 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment arrived in July 2014.[9] The 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment then left in Summer 2018 and was replaced by 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, which arrived in November 2018.[10] The 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment left the barracks in August 2022, moving to Episkopi. They will be based at Weeton Barracks on their return to the UK.[11]
The barracks is currently home to the Army's "Experimentation Battalion", the 2nd Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment (2 ROYAL YORKS). They have been based here since Summer 2022, after they returned from Episkopi.[12][13]
Future
[edit]In November 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would close in 2023.[14] This was later extended to not be before 2027,[15] and once more to 2029.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ "Moston Hall". Parks and Gardens. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Moston Hall". History of Upton by Chester. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Chapel of the Military Hospital (Moston Hall)". National Archives. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Faculty of Health and Social Care Riverside Museum". Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ a b c "Military & Wartime Activities during the 20th Century" (PDF). History of Upton by Chester. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "ROYAL MILITARY POLICE OLD COMRADES LINK UP NEWSLETTER #165 MARCH 2021" (PDF). rhqrmp.org. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Royal Military Police: Provost Companies 101 to 169". british-army-units1945on.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Royal Welsh bids farewell to Dale Camp". Chester Chronicle. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Dale Barracks Chester welcomes 2 Mercian Regiment". Chester Chronicle. Ministry of Defence. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ "How the Army moved an entire battalion from Cyprus to Chester". Cheshire Live. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ "Battalion leaves Dale Barracks in Chester for new post in Cyprus". Chester and District Standard. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "2 YORKS". The Royal Yorkshire Regiment. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ Bell, Phil (31 March 2022). "An update from Your County Regiment". The Yorkshire Society. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "A Better Defence Estate" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ "Closure of Chester's Dale Barracks delayed by four years". Chester Standard. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "Disposal database: House of Commons report". Retrieved 12 July 2022.