Bramley Training Area
| Bramley Training Area | |
|---|---|
| Bramley, Hampshire | |
 Fence on edge of Bramley Training Area | |
  Bramley Training Area Location within Hampshire | |
| Coordinates | 51°19′29″N 1°3′48″W / 51.32472°N 1.06333°W |
| Type | Barracks |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator |  British Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | c.1914 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | c.1914-Present |
Bramley Training Area is a
Bramley Ordnance Depot
Bramley Ordnance Depot (known as Central Ammunition Depot Bramley from 1946)
To enable both safe manufacture and storage of munitions, well spaced
The Central Ammunition Depot was served by the Garrison Church of St. Barbara (known locally as St. Barbara's Chapel). The register of baptisms (1956 to 1975) is now held by the National Archives, Kew.[7] The stained glass window from St. Barbara's Chapel was removed to Bramley Church when the chapel was de-consecrated.[8]
CAD Bramley closed in 1978, the School of Ammunition having relocated to
Bramley Training Area
Following closure of the ammunitions depot, the facility was renamed Bramley Training Area and sub divided into three areas as training facility. Area A is the smallest, where parts of the ITV1 series Midsomer Murders have been filmed. In Area B, located near to the camp's main base, there is the shell of a Whirlwind helicopter[10] on a concrete training area, adjacent to which there is a respirator test chamber. There are a number of other static helicopters including Lynx and Gazelle airframes in various states of repair scattered throughout the site.[11] In Area C the Channel 4 television series Scrapheap Challenge was filmed. This area has now been cleared and the site is undergoing soil treatment.[12]
The Training Area is used regularly by recruits from Recruit Training Squadron, RAF Halton for Exercise Blue Warrior. This exercise serves to confirm that the recruits can successfully operate in field conditions whilst demonstrating basic force protection skills.[13]
References
- ^ "Reserve Forces in the South East" (PDF). Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "C Squadron 21 Special Air Service Regiment (V) Artists Rifles". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ^ Parliamentary Written Answers Archived September 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Ammunition Depots". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ "A History of the Railways around Basingstoke". Basingstoke & District Railway Society. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ Tolley, Chris (4 January 2001). "Bramley Ordnance Depot". A History of the Railways around Basingstoke. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "Register of Baptisms, Garrison Church of St Barbara, Bramley Central Ammunition Depot (CAD), Hampshire". Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "National Archives - Photographs held by the Royal Logistic Corps Museum". c. 1980. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ a b Steer, Brigadier Frank (2005). To The Warrior His Arms: the story of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps 1918-1993. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen & Sword.
- ^ "Whirlwind XK970". Archived from the original on 3 May 2003. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
- ^ "Out of Service Aircraft - Bramley, Hampshire". Demobbed. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Captain Bob leads scrap team to victory". Basingstoke Gazette. 7 June 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "RAF recruits demonstrate their skills". UK Government. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2022.