MOD Chicksands
MOD Chicksands
 | |
|---|---|
| Chicksands, Near Shefford, Bedfordshire, England | |
| Coordinates | 52°02′33″N 0°21′45″W / 52.04251°N 0.36258°W |
| Type | Garrison |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Controlled by | Joint Services |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1936 |
| In use | 1936 - present |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force |
Ministry of Defence Chicksands, or more simply MOD Chicksands, is a tri-service British Armed Forces facility in Bedfordshire, approximately 35 miles (56 km) north of London. The site was formerly the home of the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre (DISC) after it moved from Ashford in 1997. The Defence Intelligence Training Group (DITG) is based at MOD Chicksands.
Site history
Chicksands was the site of
Channel 4's Time Team visited the base in 2001 and excavated areas in front of and around the priory. One of the unusual finds was the remains of a 45-year old woman. The bones were studied and carbon-dated and almost four years after they were unearthed, the bones were re-buried by the military chaplain on the base in August 2005. The Time Team were unsure who the woman was, but they believed her to be a commoner rather than a member of the Gilbertine Order.[2]
In 2003, the Double Agent
In April 2004, the former US Elementary School site was sold off to Mid-Bedfordshire Council to enable consolidation of two council offices in Biggleswade and Ampthill. The site was located at the extreme southern end of the base where it backs onto the crossroads on the A507 road by Campton village. The funds raised from this allowed the unit to build new accommodation blocks for officers and other ranks on the base.[4]
Defence College of Intelligence
The Defence College of Intelligence (DCI) is responsible for delivering training in intelligence and security to members of the British Armed Forces, police and other public sector staff as well as international partners. Training is delivered over three sites, Chicksands, the Defence Centre for Languages and Culture, MOD Shrivenham and the Defence School of Photography at the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering at Cosford.[5]
DITG trains 5,000 students a year across all disciplines including the Defence Humint Unit and diaspora training sites such as the Defence School of Photography.[6]
British Army
The Headquarters of the Intelligence Corps is located on site. It is also where Phase 2 training for all Intelligence Corps personnel is undertaken.
The Royal Corps of Signals' Electronic Warfare Operators undertake a five-week aptitude course and a 17-week Communications Exploitation course at the Defence College of Intelligence, Chicksands, as part of their 'Phase 2 Trade Training'.
HMS Ferret
HMS Ferret is a training unit of the Royal Naval Reserve which delivers intelligence-related operational capability.[7]
Other resident units
- Defence HUMINT Unit (DHU)[8]
- Military Intelligence Museum (formerly Intelligence Corps Museum)[9]
- Army Cadet Force detachment
References
- ^ "Templer Barracks History". What do they know. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ISSN 0962-3450.
- ISSN 0113-9762.
- ^ "Defence Intelligence and Security Centre annual reports and accounts to March 2005" (PDF). gov.uk. July 2005. p. 8. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ "RAF - Defence School of Photography". www.raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ISSN 0962-3450.
- ^ "Bedford - HMS Ferret". Royal Navy. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ^ "Defence Intelligence and Security Centre annual report and accounts to March 2005" (PDF). gov.uk. July 2005. p. 4. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ "Explore the Military Intelligence Museum Online". Military Intelligence Museum. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
External links
- Images
- Chicksands Priory at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 2006-10-20)
- Priory Entrance Hallway