MoD Bicester
| MoD Bicester | |
|---|---|
| Bicester, Oxfordshire | |
|
Entrance to the Storage and Distribution Centre at Bicester | |
  MoD Bicester | |
| Coordinates | 51°52′44″N 1°08′49″W / 51.87881°N 1.14682°W |
| Type | Storage and Distribution Centre |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | No |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942–Present |
MoD Bicester is a large military storage and distribution centre just outside Bicester in Oxfordshire.
History
The site dates back to September 1942 when a depot was constructed near Bicester to provide logistical support for operations in Europe during the Second World War.[1] It is serviced by the Bicester Military Railway.[1] In 1961 the ordnance depots at Didcot and Branston were closed and a Central Ordnance Depot was created at Bicester.[1] Between 1980 and 1982 the ordnance depots at Chilwell and Ruddington were also closed resulting in an increased role for the remaining central ordnance depots at Bicester and Donnington.[1] The depot became known as the Defence Storage and Distribution Centre in April 1999.[1]
A bomb disposal training base, built at a cost of circa £100 million and including a cave complex, a dive pool and roadways was established at St George's Barracks on the site in March 2013.[2] Then in September 2014, 23 Pioneer Regiment, which had been based at St David’s Barracks on the site since the 1940s, were disbanded.[3] The Ministry of Defence has announced that 1st Regiment Royal Logistic Corps will move from Gütersloh in Germany to St David’s Barracks at Bicester by summer 2016.[4]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Bicester Military Railway". Bicester Local History Society. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ↑ "Bicester bomb disposal training base opens". BBC. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ↑ "Disbanded 23 Pioneer Regiment in final parade". BBC. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ↑ "Future of British Army bases in Germany Revealed" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2 May 2015.