Port Hill drill hall, Hertford

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Port hill drill hall
Hertford
Port Hill, Hertford (Old Postcard).jpg
The drill hall (on the extreme right in the foreground)
Hertfordshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Port hill drill hall
Location in Hertfordshire
Coordinates 51°47′59″N0°04′57″W / 51.79959°N 0.08242°W / 51.79959; -0.08242 Coordinates: 51°47′59″N0°04′57″W / 51.79959°N 0.08242°W / 51.79959; -0.08242
TypeDrill hall
Site history
Built1898
Built for War Office
In use1898 – Late 20th century

The Port Hill drill hall was a military installation in Hertford, Hertfordshire.

Hertford county town of Hertfordshire, England

Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The town has a population of approximately 26,000, according to the 2011 census.

Hertfordshire County of England

Hertfordshire is one of the home counties in southern England. It is bordered by Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For government statistical purposes, it is placed in the East of England region.

History

Current view of the area showing a new residential development on the site (just over the bridge on the right hand side) Bridge in Port Hill, SG14 - geograph.org.uk - 4532627.jpg
Current view of the area showing a new residential development on the site (just over the bridge on the right hand side)

The building was designed as the headquarters of the 1st (Hertfordshire) Volunteer Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment and was completed at a cost of £2,000 in 1898. [1] This unit evolved to become the Hertfordshire Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment in 1908 and then the 1st Battalion, The Hertfordshire Regiment in 1909. [2]

Hertfordshire Regiment

The Hertfordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army. Originating in units of Rifle Volunteers formed in 1859, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and the First and Second World Wars before losing its separate identity in 1961. Its lineage is continued today by the Royal Anglian Regiment.

The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Western Front. [3] Approximately 100,000 rounds of ammunition were stored in the drill hall at that time ready for issue to soldiers who were about to see action in the First World War. [4]

Western Front (World War I) Main theatre of war during the First World War

The Western Front was the main theatre of war during the First World War. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Following the Race to the Sea, both sides dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France, which changed little except during early 1917 and in 1918.

World War I 1914–1918 global war starting in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

The battalion was still located at the drill hall when it was mobilised for service in the Second World War. [5]

World War II 1939–1945, between Axis and Allies

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from more than 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 70 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

The battalion was absorbed into the 3rd East Anglian Regiment in 1958. [2] However the British Army continued to maintain a presence at Port Hill drill hall, for the training of both Territorial Army personnel [6] and of cadets. [7] Nevertheless the drill hall eventually became surplus to requirements: it was decommissioned and subsequently demolished and, in 2003, a new residential development, which won the 2004/2005 Civic Design Award, was created in its place. [8]

The 3rd East Anglian Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army.

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References

  1. ↑ "Hertford". The drill hall project. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 "The Hertfordshire Regiment". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Hertfordshire Regiment". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Hertford in August 1914". Our Hertford and Ware. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Army List 1937". War Office. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "The Hertfordshire Regiment TA". Hertfordshire Memories. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  7. ↑ "2 Company, 1st 'C' Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment". The Goldonian. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "Port Hill, Hertford, Hertfordshire". HPS. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
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