| Dale Barracks | |
|---|---|
| Chester | |
  Dale Barracks Location within Cheshire | |
| Coordinates | 53°13′31″N02°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 | Duke of Lancaster's Regiment |
Dale Barracks is a British Army base at Moston near Chester, England. It is currently a barracks for the 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment. It is scheduled to close in 2029.
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]
In November 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would close in 2023. [11] This was later extended to not be before 2027, [12] and once more to 2029. [13]
The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales') (or simply "Staffords" for short) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of the South Staffordshire Regiment and the North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales'), and in 2007 was amalgamated with the Cheshire Regiment and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment to become the 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment.
The Mercian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infantry', it was formed on 1 September 2007 by the amalgamation of three existing regiments. The Regiment has had fifteen operational deployments since its formation.
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