| Caernarfon Barracks | |
|---|---|
| Caernarfon | |
 Caernarfon Barracks | |
  Caernarfon Barracks Location in Gwynedd | |
| Coordinates | 53°08′22″N4°16′01″W / 53.13939°N 4.26708°W Coordinates: 53°08′22″N4°16′01″W / 53.13939°N 4.26708°W |
| Type | Drill hall |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1855 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | 1855 – Present |
Caernarfon Barracks is a military installation in Caernarfon, Wales.
The building was commissioned by John Lloyd, County Surveyor of Caernarfonshire, as a military headquarters and was completed in 1855. [1] It became the headquarters of units of the Carnarvon Rifle Volunteer Corps when they were raised in March 1860 and went on to become the headquarters of the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, when that unit was formed in 1897. [2] The battalion evolved to become the 6th (Caernarvonshire and Anglesey) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, in 1908. [2] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to Gallipoli and ultimately to Palestine. [3]
After the Second World War the battalion converted to become the 635th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Royal Welch) and evolved to become the 446th (Royal Welch) Airborne Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, while still based at the barracks, in 1955. [2] It reverted to infantry stratus and amalgamated with the 7th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers to form the 6th/7th Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1956. [4] However, the presence at the barracks was reduced to a single company, D Company of the 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1971 [5] and further reduced to a rifle platoon of D Company, The Royal Welsh Regiment in 1991 and evolved to be a rifle platoon of D Company, The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh in 2006. [6] Although the Ministry of Defence had previously indicated its intention to close the barracks, [7] a reprieve was announced in March 2017. [8]
The Royal Welch Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, founded in 1689 shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and became The Welch Regiment of Fusiliers; the prefix "Royal" was added in 1713, then confirmed in 1714 when George I named it The Prince of Wales's Own Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliers. After the 1751 reforms that standardised the naming and numbering of regiments, it became the 23rd Foot.
160 (Welsh) Brigade or Brigâd 160 (Cymru), previously 160 Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Wales, is a regional brigade of the British Army that has been in existence since 1908, and saw service during both World War I and World War II, as part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division. It is a regional command responsible for all of Wales. The Brigade is also regionally aligned with the Eastern European and Central Asian regions as part of defence engagement. The brigade organises an annual patrolling competition in the Brecon Beacons, known as Exercise Cambrian Patrol.
The Royal Welsh is one of the new large infantry regiments of the British Army. After the restructuring and reorganisation of the army in 2006, the Royal Welsh is one of three regiments to trace its lineage and draw its recruits primarily from Wales.
The 52nd Lowland Volunteers is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Lowlands, forming the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Reserve line infantry battalion in the British Army. It is one of two Reserve battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, along with 51st Highland, a similar unit located in the Scottish Highlands.
The 51st Highland Volunteers is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Highlands, forming the 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 7 SCOTS. It is one of two Reserve battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, along with 52nd Lowland, a similar unit located in the Scottish Lowlands.
The Glasgow Highlanders was a former infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, later renamed the Territorial Army. The regiment eventually became a Volunteer Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry in 1881. The regiment saw active service in both World War I and World War II. In 1959 the Highland Light Infantry was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers. The Glasgow Highlanders was later amalgamated into the 52nd Lowland Volunteers in 1967.
The Denbighshire Hussars was a Welsh Yeomanry regiment of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw service in the First World War before being converted into a unit of the Royal Artillery. The lineage has been continued by 398 Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps.
The 158th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that served in both the First and Second World Wars, before being disbanded in 1968. Throughout its existence the brigade was assigned to the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division and was composed almost entirely of Territorial battalions from the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
In September 1939, the British Army was in process of expanding their anti-aircraft and mobile assets. Among these new changes was the formation of Anti-Aircraft Command which was formed on 1 April 1939, and the 1st Armoured Division formed in 1937. The list below will include the British Army units, colonial units, and those units which were in the process of formation.
The 115th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army raised during both the First and Second World War.
Hightown Barracks is a military installation in Wrexham, Wales.
The Mitcham Road Barracks is an Army Reserve centre in Croydon, London, with a history dating back to 1794.
The Hencotes drill hall, also known as Dare Wilson Barracks, is a military installation in Hexham, Northumberland.
The Fenkle Street drill hall is a military installation in Alnwick, Northumberland. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The Poyser Street drill hall is a former military installation in Wrexham, Wales.
The Back Lane drill hall is a former military installation in Newtown, Wales.
The Lower Dock Street Street drill hall is a former military installation in Newport, Wales.
The Brook Street drill hall is a military installation in Welshpool.
The 6th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, was a Welsh unit of the British Army's auxiliary forces. Formed in 1908, from Volunteer units that dated back to 1860, it fought at Gallipoli), in Egypt and Palestine during World War I, and in the campaign in North West Europe during World War II. Postwar it was converted to the anti-aircraft artillery role, then reverted to infantry in 1956 after it amalgamated with a neighbouring unit.