New tenants for Cottesmore, Wittering and Kinloss

[Vox Populi]

BBC News - Army troop relocations announced by Ministry of Defence (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15670185?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)

[Vox Populi]

Copy & paste....

The Ministry of Defence has revealed how it will withdraw UK troops and their families from Germany by 2020.

About 450 service personnel from 7 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) will move from Bielefeld to RAF Cottesmore in Rutland by summer 2013.

Meanwhile, 120 soldiers from 43 Close Support Squadron RLC will move to Abingdon, Oxfordshire, to join its parent regiment.

It is estimated the move from Germany will save the MoD £250m a year.

The department says the move will also give greater stability for military families.
Defence review

Two of the regiments affected are currently located in Cyprus. They will return to new UK bases, instead of their previous homes in Germany.

The 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment will move its 620 personnel to Cottesmore in July 2012, while 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment will move to Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright, Surrey, in July 2013. This will also affect 620 soldiers.

Also relocating from their Germany base will be 930 soldiers from 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support) from its base at Waterbeach, near Cambridge, to the former RAF base at Kinloss, Moray.

Meanwhile 44 soldiers from HQ 12 (Air Support) Engineer Group will move from Waterbeach to RAF Wittering, near Peterborough, in the summer of 2013.

The moves are part of the government's strategic defence review which was published by ministers in July

[Could be the last?]

So does this mean that the Cyprus Regts will not be replaced?

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

And use of the Kinloss runway is being assessed:

BBC News - MoD 'will assess Kinloss runway' for flying operations (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-14947360)

Duncs:ok:

[orgASMic]

So does this mean that the Cyprus Regts will not be replaced?

They will be replaced by other infantry battalions on 2-year rotations in the role of Resident Infantry Battalions (RIBs).

The article states that they will not return to Germany; their new homes will be in the UK.

The Cyprus RIBs, the Falkand Islands Resident Inf Coy, the RGR Bn in Brunei and a few other odds and sods are the irreducable remains of the old Arms Plot, who rotate in turn every couple of years.

[Halton Brat]

I hope that our Brown Bretheren are going to put the Harrier back on its' plinth at Gutersloh when they depart (mind you, it was doing the slowest of slow rolls to the left when first installed, until the concrete base fully hardened..........)

HB

[Tankertrashnav]

new tennants for Cottesmore, Wittering and Kinloss


Oh you corrected the typo - shame.

I thought they were going to open three new breweries ;)

[Stitchbitch]

I hope that our Brown Bretheren are going to put the Harrier back on its' plinth at Gutersloh when they depart

Yes.. but as 1 Regt AAC weren't mentioned in the press, that might not be happening for quite a while yet. :ok:

[beerdrinker]

Do the burghers of Stamford know what is going to hit them? All those nice pubs having to get themselves made out of bounds.

[Sir George Cayley]

I hope the married quarters will have been renovated with some of the cash saved.

Tennents is piss, so no loss there. Adnams should be available somewhere nearby shirley.

SGC

[Vox Populi]

new tennants for Cottesmore, Wittering and Kinloss
Oh you corrected the typo - shame.

I thought they were going to open three new breweries

Typos should be enforceable. ;)

[Melchett01]

I wonder what a mass influx of Army will do to the property prices in the area and if we will see complaints from locals?

A friend has a place close to what was RAF North Luffenham and he said when the Army moved in there they went through quite a painful transition of squaddies trying to stamp their mark on the local area. Wonder if we will see the same sort of thing in the Stamford area? Having recently had to pop over to Aldergrove for a meeting, a number of the civvie staff working there bemoaned the fact that the Army rather than the RAF were now in charge and many of the changes weren't necessarily for the better.

On the flip side, the local businesses will likely be very happy about the potentially increased revenue streams.

[teeteringhead]

The name changes always seem a shame. One knows (particularly at this time on a Friday night after some decent malt) that the RAF have few traditions, but Station names are one of them.

Sad that they will all likely become "Some Obscure Dead General Barracks" or similar. :{

[Shackman]

Sad that they will all likely become "Some Obscure Dead General Barracks" or similar.

Not always so - Ballykelly became Shackleton Barracks! (although that may be the exception). Any others?

[Tankertrashnav]

My army son is at Javelin Barracks - better known to us on here as RAF Bruggen.

Dont think there were ever Javelins at Bruggen - I think the javelin features on the badge of the Royal Signals unit based there.

[timex]

Of course the other option is they all get sold off...

[Maxibon]

Sad that they will all likely become "Some Obscure Dead General Barracks" or similar

Absolutely right, rather than recognise some upstanding chap such as Montgomery or Slim, we could call them Stirrup Barracks or Torpy Barracks in recognition of the finest leaders the RAF have witnessed in recent years.:\

[Let's try that again]

My army son is at Javelin Barracks - better known to us on here as RAF Bruggen.

Dont think there were ever Javelins at Bruggen - I think the javelin features on the badge of the Royal Signals unit based there.

I think there were some from 1956 - 58 approx. 87 Sqn had some of them.

[RAFEngO74to09]

Thread drift but possibly interesting to some.

87 Sqn was based at RAF Bruggen with the Javelin FAW1 from 1957 to 1961.

Here is an interesting article on how type conversion from Meteor NF14 to Javelin FAW1 was done in-theatre by the Fighter Command Javelin Conversion Unit, using Valetta "flying radar classrooms" and with technical lectures being given by a rep from the Gloster Aircraft Co.

st | conversion unit | summer camps | 1957 | 1428 | Flight Archive (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201428.html)

Mind boggling - a culture of making things easy for the front-line to get on with improving operational effectiveness without the disruption of going back to the UK for courses and trying to claim back the expenses !

[huntaluvva]

Well, thank goodness that Chiv is still known as Royal Marine Barracks Chivenor..

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

Of course, barracks are not always named after an obscure dead general; sometimes they are named after famous battles. Perhaps Kinloss could become Culloden Barracks.

I'll get my coat...

Duncs:ok:

[Roadster280]

Confirmed, Javelin Bks is nothing to do with these:

http://www.dirjournal.com/info/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Gloster-Javelin-1.jpg

Or even these:

http://www.defencetalk.com/pictures/data/3056/medium/javelin-anti-tank-missile-british-army.jpg

Just these:

http://www.army.mod.uk/images/images-microsites/RoyalSignallers/1SigBde_Flash_History.gif

Longer history here (http://www.army.mod.uk/signals/organisation/9399.aspx)

[Roland Pulfrew]

Perhaps Kinloss could become Culloden Barracks.

Of course if the new tenants wanted to get some kudos, then they could do a lot worse than "Duke of Edinburgh Barracks Kinloss". I am sure 'Phil' might be content to continue his association.

[Avionker]

I'm starting to think maybe I'm some kind of jinx.....

After training I spent 4 years on 202 Sqn at Brawdy, 2 years on the RIC(NI) at Aldergrove and 7 years on the NST at Kinloss. All 3 having become or about to become army barracks. Not to mention the fact that Swinderby, Finningley, Hereford and Manston have closed. All stations that I was detached to at some point.

To the best of my knowledge the only stations still active that I was present on, in an official capacity at least, are Cosford, Lossiemouth and Scampton.

Not bad, 3 out of 10.

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

RP,

Good point!

Avionker,

I know what you mean. With the exception of UAS, every Stn (except Cranwell) and Sqn that I have been on has been closed!

Duncs:ok:

[downsizer]

Get yourself posted to Brize, chop, chop....

[Roadster280]

The positive thing is that these places are remaining in the MOD Estate. Thus they won't end up like Watton (Houses), Driffield (derelict), Upwood (derelict), Scampton (derelict within the MOD Estate), Church Fenton (derelict within the MOD Estate), etc. They will remain vibrant military communities.

I can't understand moving 39 Engr Regt from one ex-airfield to another though. Surely the cost of the unit move and the adaptation of Kinloss so that it is fit for purpose comes close to the value of Waterbeach Barracks.

[ZH875]

I can't understand moving 39 Engr Regt from one ex-airfield to another though.....

There are only so many holes you can blow in runways and repair again, before you need another runway to start destroying!!

[corporal punishment]

Avionker,

Hereford not closed - now home to those strange people with sand coloured berets.

CP

[Green Flash]

ZH - I think you might have it there. Tons of room in the North and South woods to make huge holes, plus all the bondu between airfield and sea. Fort George is set to remain Army but I bet Cameron Barracks is flogged off (slap bang in the middle of Inverness where they can't build houses fast enough at the moment) so 39 might have some others with them - at Moray Barracks? Lots of big sheds to keep combat tonka toys in and rail frieght yards at Elgin or Inverness if they don't want to road stuff in and out; they could even go all amphib on Findhorn beach! The runway is big enough for C-17's, Antonovs and presumably A400's, with bags of parking, fuel, etc. Suspect they might get a few bob for Waterbeach, well, more than ISK.