Thiepval Barracks
Encyclopedia
Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn
, County Antrim
, is the headquarters of the British Army
in Northern Ireland
and its 38th (Irish) Brigade
. In August 2008, 19th Light Brigade moved into Thiepval Barracks from Catterick Garrison
, North Yorkshire
. The barracks is named after the village of Thiepval
in Northern France, an important site in the Battle of the Somme (1916)
and site of the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.
The Army's Belfast Regional Command corresponds to the Police Service of Northern Ireland
's Belfast Region.
On October 7, 1996 the Provisional Irish Republican Army
penetrated the heavily fortified base to detonate two car bombs. The first detonated at 15:35 GMT followed by the second around ten minutes later close to the base's medical facilities where victims were gathering. Warrant Officer James Bradwell (43) was killed and 21 soldiers and 10 civilians were injured. This bombing was the first major attack on a military base since the ending of the IRA's ceasefire on February 9 1996 when it exploded a device in London's Docklands
.
Security normalisation process didn't see the closure of Thiepval Barracks. It is one of the 14 military bases remaining in Northern Ireland after the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Personnel levels dropped to 5,000 from around 12,000 (this from a height of nearly 30,000 during the height of The Troubles
).
Thiepval Barracks is also home to BFBS radio in Northern Ireland with the community station Lisburn FM transmitting across the city of Lisburn
on 100.6FM
who operated from a protected nuclear bunker on Knox Road within Thiepval Barracks. Converted from a 1940s anti-aircraft operations room (AAOR) the bunker would support over one hundred ROC volunteers and a ten man United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
warning team responsible for the famous four-minute warning in the event of a nuclear strike on the UK. The ROC would also detect radioactive fallout from the nuclear bursts and warn the public of approaching fallout.
The two organisations were stood down in 1992 at the end of the Cold War
. In 2007 a commemorative plaque was mounted on the wall of the nuclear bunker which still stands, marking the volunteer service of ROC volunteers all over the Province.
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, is the headquarters of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and its 38th (Irish) Brigade
38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 38th Infantry Brigade was a British Army unit formed initially after the start of World War I, without the title 'Irish'.-History:...
. In August 2008, 19th Light Brigade moved into Thiepval Barracks from Catterick Garrison
Catterick Garrison
Catterick Garrison is a major Army base located in Northern England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population of around 12,000, plus a large temporary population of soldiers, and is larger than its older neighbour...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
. The barracks is named after the village of Thiepval
Thiepval
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a major war memorial to 72,191 missing British and South African men who died in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918 who have no known grave...
in Northern France, an important site in the Battle of the Somme (1916)
Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
and site of the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.
The Army's Belfast Regional Command corresponds to the Police Service of Northern Ireland
Police Service of Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary which, in turn, was the successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary in Northern Ireland....
's Belfast Region.
On October 7, 1996 the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
penetrated the heavily fortified base to detonate two car bombs. The first detonated at 15:35 GMT followed by the second around ten minutes later close to the base's medical facilities where victims were gathering. Warrant Officer James Bradwell (43) was killed and 21 soldiers and 10 civilians were injured. This bombing was the first major attack on a military base since the ending of the IRA's ceasefire on February 9 1996 when it exploded a device in London's Docklands
1996 Docklands bombing
The Docklands bombing occurred on 9 February 1996. It was conducted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army and brought an end to their seventeen-month ceasefire...
.
Security normalisation process didn't see the closure of Thiepval Barracks. It is one of the 14 military bases remaining in Northern Ireland after the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Personnel levels dropped to 5,000 from around 12,000 (this from a height of nearly 30,000 during the height of The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
).
Thiepval Barracks is also home to BFBS radio in Northern Ireland with the community station Lisburn FM transmitting across the city of Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
on 100.6FM
The Cold War
Between 1954 and 1992 Lisburn contained the operational headquarters of No 31 Belfast Group Royal Observer CorpsRoyal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
who operated from a protected nuclear bunker on Knox Road within Thiepval Barracks. Converted from a 1940s anti-aircraft operations room (AAOR) the bunker would support over one hundred ROC volunteers and a ten man United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation
The United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation was a British civilian organisation operating between 1957 and 1992 to provide the authorities with data about nuclear explosions and forecasts of likely fallout profiles across the country in the event of war.The UKWMO was established and...
warning team responsible for the famous four-minute warning in the event of a nuclear strike on the UK. The ROC would also detect radioactive fallout from the nuclear bursts and warn the public of approaching fallout.
The two organisations were stood down in 1992 at the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. In 2007 a commemorative plaque was mounted on the wall of the nuclear bunker which still stands, marking the volunteer service of ROC volunteers all over the Province.