Clive Barracks

Clive Barracks
Ternhill

Clive Barracks
Clive Barracks
Location within Shropshire
Coordinates 52°52′16″N 02°32′01″W / 52.87111°N 2.53361°W / 52.87111; -2.53361Coordinates: 52°52′16″N 02°32′01″W / 52.87111°N 2.53361°W / 52.87111; -2.53361
Type Barracks
Site information
Owner Ministry of Defence
Operator  British Army
Site history
Built 1976
In use 1976-Present
Garrison information
Occupants 1 Royal Irish Regiment

Clive Barracks is a military installation at Ternhill in Shropshire in Western England.

History

The barracks were established, on the site of the former RAF Ternhill airbase, in 1976: they were initially named Borneo Barracks[1] before being renamed Clive Barracks after Major-General Lord Clive who had been born in Shropshire.[2] Some of the early units to use the site were the Queen's Lancashire Regiment who moved there in 1980[3] and the Royal Welch Fusiliers who moved there in 1984.[4]

On 20 February 1989, two IRA bombers activated two bombs within the accommodation barracks at Tern Hill. At that time the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (who had arrived in 1987)[5] and the 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (who had arrived in 1989)[6] were located at the base. A sentry spotted two men behaving suspiciously and raised the alarm, the barracks were evacuated shortly before the bombs exploded therefore preventing certain loss of life. One of the accommodation blocks was destroyed in the blast (which was reported to have been heard 20 mi (32 km) away in Shrewsbury). The bombers escaped by hijacking a car from a house down the road from the barracks.[7]

Since 2007 the barracks have been the home of 1 Royal Irish Regiment.[8]

In late March 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that the site was one of ten to be sold in order to reduce the size of the Defence estate.[9] The airfield will be retained as a Relief Landing Ground (RLG) and practice area for Defence Helicopter Flying School based out of nearby RAF Shawbury.[10] In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would close in 2022.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "RAF Ternhill". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment". Ministry of Defence (MoD). Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "Queen's Lancashire Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Royal Welch Fusiliers". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "2nd Bn Parachute Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Duke of Wellington's Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "1989: IRA bombs Tern Hill barracks". BBC. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "Royal Irish Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "Thousands of new homes to be built as MOD releases more sites". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Pugh, James (14 May 2016). "Base closure will not affect RAF airfield". Shropshire Star (15760). p. 13.
  11. ↑ "A Better Defence Estate" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.