Robertson Barracks, Norfolk

Coordinates: 52°43′41″N 0°58′01″E / 52.72800°N 0.96700°E / 52.72800; 0.96700
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Robertson Barracks
Swanton Morley
Robertson Barracks
Robertson Barracks is located in Norfolk
Robertson Barracks
Robertson Barracks
Location within Norfolk
Coordinates52°43′41″N 0°58′01″E / 52.72800°N 0.96700°E / 52.72800; 0.96700
TypeBarracks
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
Operator British Army
Site history
Built1995
In use1995-Present
Garrison information
Occupants1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards

Robertson Barracks is a military installation near Swanton Morley in Norfolk. It is home to 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. It is set to close in 2029.

History[edit]

Trainload of Scimitar reconnaissance vehicles on the Mid-Norfolk Railway

The barracks, named after Field Marshal Sir William Robertson, were established when RAF Swanton Morley was handed over to the British Army in 1995.[1] In April 1998, it became the base of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers,[2] who were replaced by the Light Dragoons in August 2000.[3]

The Light Dragoons left the barracks on 6 June 2015 and were replaced by the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards who were returning from Germany.[4]

The Army sometimes uses the Mid-Norfolk Railway to transport equipment, such as armoured vehicles used by 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, to their training facilities in other parts of the United Kingdom.[5]

Current units[edit]

The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards are currently based at Robertson Barracks[6] and are scheduled to be relocated to the new Caerwent Barracks on the base's closure.[7]

Future[edit]

In 2013, the British Government identified Robertson Barracks as one of seven "core bases" in which it would invest.[8] However, in November 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would instead close in 2031,[9] this was later brought forward to 2029.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "RAF Swanton Morley". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 15 May 1995. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  2. ^ "9th/12th Royal Lancers". British Army Units 1945 on. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  3. ^ "The Light Dragoons". British Army Units 1945 on. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  4. ^ "Light Dragoons bid farewell to Swanton Morley with flag ceremony as Queen's Dragoon Guards arrive". Dereham Times. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Army and infrastructure trains – all in a day's work on the MNR!". Norfolk Railway Society. January 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  6. ^ Lancaster, Mark (29 November 2018). "Army:Written question - 194616". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Welsh Cavalry set for repatriation to Caerwent Barracks". David TC Davies MP.
  8. ^ "Future of mid Norfolk barracks secured, but Light Dragoons will leave Norfolk". edp24.co.uk. Archant. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  9. ^ "A Better Defence Estate" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Disposal database: House of Commons report". Retrieved 26 November 2021.