Stirling Lines

Stirling Lines
Near Credenhill, Herefordshire, in  England
A Dauphin II of No. 658 Squadron based at Stirling Lines
Site information
Type	Army barracks
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	British Army
Controlled by	Special Air Service
Condition	Operational
Location
Stirling Lines Location in Herefordshire
Coordinates	52°05′06″N002°47′42″W / 52.08500°N 2.79500°W / 52.08500; -2.79500
Grid reference	SO454428
Area	392 hectares (970 acres)
Site history
Built	1939;86 years ago (1939) (as RAF Credenhill)
In use	1939 – 1994 (RAF) 1999 – present (British Army)
Garrison information
Occupants	22 Special Air Service Regiment Special Reconnaissance Regiment 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment) 264 Signal Squadron (SAS) 267 Signal Squadron (SRR) 268 Signal Squadron (Support Squadron) No. 658 Squadron (AAC)
Airfield information
Identifiers	ICAO: EGVH
Elevation	240 metres (787 ft) AMSL
Helipads Number Length and surface 08/26 150 metres (492 ft) Grass
Source: UK Military AIP [1]

Stirling Lines is a British Army garrison in Credenhill, Herefordshire; the headquarters of the 22 Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS), Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) and 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment. The site was formerly a Royal Air Force (RAF) non-flying station for training schools, known as RAF Credenhill. ^{[2] [3]}

History

In 1958, the Special Air Service (SAS) was temporarily based at Merebrook Camp in Malvern, Worcestershire, a former emergency military hospital that had remained largely unused since 1945. ^[4] In 1960, the SAS moved to a former Royal Artillery boys' training unit, Bradbury Lines in Hereford, which was renamed in 1984 to Stirling Lines in honour of the regiment's founder, Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling. ^[2] In 1994, the RAF ceased using RAF Credenhill; the Army then obtaining the site to redevelop as a new base for the SAS; works commenced in 1997. ^[2] The SAS commenced relocation of staff and equipment to Credenhill from Hereford with the redevelopment of the site. The move was completed in May 1999. ^[2] On 30 September 2000, the official opening ceremony was held for the new Stirling Lines with the clock tower re-erected on the new parade ground. ^{[2] [4]} The Hereford site was sold to a property developer in March 2001. ^[5]

Based units

The following units are based at Stirling Lines: ^{[6] [7]}

• 22 Special Air Service Regiment
  • A Squadron
  • B Squadron
  • D Squadron
  • G Squadron
• Special Reconnaissance Regiment
• 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment
  • 264 (SAS) Signal Squadron
  • 267 (SSR) Signal Squadron
  • 268 (Support Squadron) Signal Squadron
  • 63 (Reserves) Signal Squadron
• 658 Squadron AAC – Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphin II

See also

• List of airfields of the Army Air Corps (United Kingdom)

References

1. No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit. "AD 3 EGVH - Hereford" (PDF). United Kingdom Military Aeronautical Information Publication. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
2. Goodwin, Nicola (6 May 2010). "SAS: Troopers tell their stories". BBC News . Retrieved 23 June 2017.
3. "RAF Hereford (Credenhill) - RAF Stations - H". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. M B Barrass. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
4. Bennett, Richard M. (2003). Elite forces : an encyclopedia of the world's most formidable secret armies. London: Virgin Books. ISBN   9781852279745.
5. "Former SAS site plan set to impact". Hereford Times . 9 October 2003. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
6. Coughlin, Con (30 January 2013). "The SAS: a very special force". The Telegraph . Retrieved 19 November 2017.
7. "Special forces regiment created". BBC News . 5 April 2005. Retrieved 19 November 2017.