MoD Bicester

MoD Bicester is a large military installation consisting of two barracks and a storage and distribution centre, just outside Bicester in Oxfordshire. The St David's Barracks part of the base, home to 1 Regiment RLC, is set to close in 2028.

MoD Bicester
Bicester, Oxfordshire
Entrance at DE&S Bicester
MoD Bicester is located in Oxfordshire
MoD Bicester
MoD Bicester
Coordinates51.87881°N 1.14682°W / 51.87881; -1.14682
TypeStorage and Distribution Centre
Barracks
Site information
Open to
the public		No
Site history
Built1942 (1942)
In use1942–Present
Garrison information
Occupants1 Regiment RLC

History
COD Bicester prior to D-Day, 1944.

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] 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] The base is serviced by the Bicester Military Railway.[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]

In September 2014, 23 Pioneer Regiment, which had been based at St David's Barracks on the site since the 1940s, was disbanded.[3]

1 Regiment RLC moved from Gütersloh in Germany to St David's Barracks at Bicester in 2016.[4]

Current units

Units based at the site include:[5]

St David’s Barracks

Royal Logistic Corps

  • 1 Regiment
    • 74 Headquarters Squadron
    • 23 General Support Squadron
    • 12 Close Support Squadron
    • 2 Close Support Squadron
    • REME Light Aid Detachment

St George’s Barracks

Royal Engineers

  • Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Munitions, and Search (DEMS) Training Regiment[6]

Future

The St David's Barracks portion is earmarked for disposal, with a closure date of 2028.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Bicester Military Railway". Bicester Local History Society. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  2. "Bicester bomb disposal training base opens". BBC. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  3. "Disbanded 23 Pioneer Regiment in final parade". BBC. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  4. "Future of British Army bases in Germany Revealed" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  5. "1 Regiment RLC | The British Army".
  6. "British Army - DEFENCE EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL, MUNITIONS AND SEARCH - DEMS TRAINING REGIMENT". 30 September 2023.
  7. "Is Your Military Base Closing? Read The Full List Of Sites Shutting". Forces News. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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