Peninsula Barracks, Warrington

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Peninsula Barracks
Warrington
Peninsula Barracks, Warrington.jpg
Peninsula Barracks
Cheshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Peninsula Barracks
Location within Cheshire
Coordinates 53°24′01″N2°34′54″W / 53.40032°N 2.58171°W / 53.40032; -2.58171 Coordinates: 53°24′01″N2°34′54″W / 53.40032°N 2.58171°W / 53.40032; -2.58171
TypeBarracks
Site information
Owner Ministry of Defence
OperatorFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Site history
Built1878
Built for War Office
In use1878-Present
Garrison information
Occupants 75 Engineer Regiment
4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment

Peninsula Barracks is a military installation on O'Leary Street in Warrington, England.

History

The barracks were built in the Fortress Gothic Revival Style and, although construction started a few years earlier, they were opened as Orford Barracks in 1878. [1] Their creation took place as part of the Cardwell Reforms which encouraged the localisation of British military forces. [2]

The barracks were intended as depot for the two battalions of the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot. [3] Under the Childers Reforms, the 8th Regiment of Foot evolved to become the King's Regiment (Liverpool) with its depot at the barracks in 1881. [4]

The barracks were also intended as depot for the 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment and the 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers). [4] Under the Childers Reforms the 40th and 82nd regiments, together with the Warrington-based 4th Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Light Infantry) amalgamated to form the South Lancashire Regiment in 1881. [4]

The King's Regiment (Liverpool) moved out to Seaforth Barracks in 1910 leaving the barracks as the mobilisation point for the South Lancashire Regiment at the start of the First World War. [5]

After the Second World War the barracks became the home of the 4th Battalion the South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers); although the regiment was disbanded in 1958 the battalion transferred to the Lancashire Regiment and continued to be based at the barracks. [6] This battalion was reduced to company status in 1967 and that company transferred to the Queen's Lancashire Regiment in 1970. [6]

In 1975 the barracks became the headquarters of 5th/8th (Volunteer) Battalion the King's Regiment [7] and in 1999 they became the home of B (Cheshire) Company of the King's and Cheshire Regiment, [8] which subsequently left in 2005 prior to the regiment's amalgamation. Since 2007 they have been the home of a squadron of 75 Engineer Regiment. [9] [10]

In 2019, a detached platoon of A (Ladysmith) Company, 4th Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, based in Liverpool, was raised at the barracks, after a 14 year absence of infantry in the town. [11]

Related Research Articles

Kings Regiment

The King's Regiment, officially abbreviated as KINGS, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 1 September 1958 by the amalgamation of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) which had been raised in 1685 and the Manchester Regiment which traced its history to 1758. In existence for almost 50 years, the regular battalion, 1 KINGS, served in Kenya, Kuwait, British Guiana (Guyana), West Germany, Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, and Iraq. Between 1972 and 1990, 15 Kingsmen died during military operations in Northern Ireland during a violent period in the province's history known as "The Troubles".

Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in summer 1990 after the end of the Cold War.

Queens Lancashire Regiment

The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 25 March 1970 at Connaught Barracks in Dover through the amalgamation of the two remaining Lancashire infantry regiments, the Lancashire Regiment and the Loyal Regiment. In July 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with two other Northern infantry regiments to form the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

Duke of Lancasters Regiment Infantry regiment of the British Army

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South Lancashire Regiment

The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958.

Cheshire Regiment

The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. The regiment was expanded in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the linking of the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire. The title 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment continued to be used within the regiment.

Kings Own Royal Border Regiment

The King's Own Royal Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1959 until 2006, and was part of the King's Division. It was formed at Barnard Castle on 1 October 1959 through the amalgamation of the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and the Border Regiment. The only official abbreviation of the name was King's Own Border [sic].

The Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers was a Territorial Army unit of the British Army.

Kings Division

The King's Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for infantry regiments in the North of England.

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The 42nd Infantry Brigade, also known as 42 Brigade, was a brigade of the British Army.

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The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59th Regiment of Foot with the militia and rifle volunteer units of eastern Lancashire. In 1958 the regiment was amalgamated with the South Lancashire Regiment to form the Lancashire Regiment which was, in 1970, merged with the Loyal Regiment to form the Queen's Lancashire Regiment. In 2006, the Queen's Lancashire was further amalgamated with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the King's Regiment to form the present Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

Kings Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)

The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the regiment was amalgamated with the Border Regiment to form the King's Own Royal Border Regiment.

The Lancastrian Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the regular infantry regiments of northwest England.

Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)

The Loyal Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Regiment to form the Queen's Lancashire Regiment which was, in 2006, amalgamated with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the King's Regiment to form the Duke of Lancaster Regiment.

Regimental depot Home base of a regiment

The regimental depot of a regiment is its home base for recruiting and training. It is also where soldiers and officers awaiting discharge or postings are based and where injured soldiers return to full fitness after discharge from hospital before returning to full duty. Normally, a variety of regimental stores will also be kept at the depot. The regimental depot is not the same as the regimental headquarters, though in practice the two will often be co-located in the same place.

The Lancashire Militia was an auxiliary military force in Lancashire in North West England. From their formal organisation as Trained Bands in 1558 and their service in the Williamite War in Ireland and against the Jacobite Risings, the Militia regiments of Lancashire served during times of international tension and all of Britain's major wars. They provided internal security and home defence but sometimes operated further afield, including Ireland and the Mediterranean, relieving regular troops from routine garrison duties, and acting as a source of trained officers and men for the Regular Army. All the infantry battalions went on active service during the Second Boer War and all served as Special Reserve training units in World War I, with one battalion seeing considerable action on the Western Front. After 1921 the militia had only a shadowy existence until its final abolition in 1953.

The Lancastrian Volunteers was a short lived Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army, composed of companies from the North West affiliated regiments.

The 1st Royal Lancashire Militia was an auxiliary regiment raised in the county of Lancashire in North West England during the 17th Century. Primarily intended for home defence, it saw active service in Ireland under King William III, as well as against the Jacobite Risings of 1715 and 1745. It spent long periods on defence duties during the wars of the 18th Century and early 19th Century, and was stationed on the Ionian Islands during the Crimean War. It later became part of the King's Own and saw active service in the Second Boer War. After its conversion to the Special Reserve under the Haldane Reforms, it supplied reinforcements to the fighting battalions during World War I. After a shadowy postwar existence the unit was finally disbanded in 1953.

References

  1. "Townships: Warrington, A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3". 1907. p. 316-324. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  2. "Echoes of the past in these Army cuts". 8 July 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  3. "The New Army List". 1874. p. 144. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Training Depots". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  5. "Litherland at War". Litherland Digital. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 "South Lancashire Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  7. "King's Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  8. "King's and Cheshire Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  9. "Warrington Timeline". My Warrington. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  10. "75 Engineer Regiment". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  11. "The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment returns to Orford Barracks" . Retrieved 19 July 2020.