Secret and Not So Secret UK Bases and Installations

RAF Thatcham was in fact MOD Thatcham. A major storage facility that provided everything from tentage to weapons and from vehicles to ammunition.

RAF Brampton is still the home of the Joint Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence Centre (JARIC).

Not mentioned in Cornwall is the listening post at Tregantle Fort, right next to the rifle range.

Oakhampton Battle camp is part of the Dartmoor Training Area that also encompasses Willsworthy Ranges. Incidentally, the RM Commandos undertake sniper training in this area.

In Dorset, you have the Royal Armoured Corps Training Centre (RACTC) at BOVINGTON, not Wareham and certainly not Wool. Driver/Maintenance and Control Signaler training are carried out at the main School, whilst the Battle Group Trainer is near the Officers mess. The Gunnery School is located at Lulworth where there is a Battle Run down to Lulworth Cove.

In Gloucester where I am, is the GCHQ 'Doughnut'. It is of course nowhere near Benham and this site has been transferred to the Doughnut, as had all the other outstations except one near Cheltenham Town FC which is still operational.

Ashchurch is a Central vehicle Depot where every type of vehicle is stored in preservation. It is also home to the Special Projects Wing (Vehicle) and they work directly for 22. Nuff said!

RAF Innsworth - the former HQ Personnel Management Centre, now HQ Personnel Training Centre, is allegedly closing next year although rumours are that ARC will move in by 2010 unless the people at Creden Hill get in first!

I am afraid that RAF Biggin Hill - my former station has closed and is currently owned by Bernie Ecclestone who is letting this prestigious Battle of Britain air base fall in to a disreputable state of repair.

RAF Woodvale may have some University Air Squadrons operating from there, BUT there is some really dodgy 'goings on', going on there. If you approach the Inner Cordon fencing, watch out for the partially hidden cigarette box sized video cameras. Also be aware of the Men in Black that suddenly appear from what to all intents and purposes, appear to be deserted buildings.

RAF Northwood is also known as HMS Warrior. It is an underground facility which requires special badges to access lower levels. The Falkland Island Campaign and the Gulf Wars were both run from this facility.

Army - Swynnerton is in fact the Joint Services Driving Centre for units posted overseas.

RAF Rudloe Manor. It is the home of No 1 P&SS for the RAF. U2U me for details. Lots of pics on the web, but utterly useless.

Gaeorloch Head in Scotland. Home to the Trident and Hunter/Killer submarines. Also has a weapons storage facility and is under 24 hour armed guard with 'Lethal force' authorised inside the base, when submarines are alongside. SBS guard the nuclear weapons storage facility. DO NOT GO THERE!

Castle Martin in Pembrookshire is the tank gunnery and rifle ranges in Wales. Caerwent near Chepstow is used by the SAS, regular army and cadets as a training area. Here the SAS also practice breeching buildings, trains and aircraft.

There is also a very small 50 Mtre range at Talybont-On-Usk. SF units only.

it was fun to be able to see a military base in england when i was staying with a host family. I jokingly was offered to throw a grenade at the testing fields. The highlight of the trip...smoked eels..tasty.

Wow, for a country of such a small physical size, the list of bases un the UK is quite impressive. Many of these places I'm unfamiliar with. Gee with all that support, it's no wonder that our friends over in the UK open the door for us to come from the US and conduct military op's. People talk about the American presence in Europe, however they always forget to mention the great hosptatility of the British government that makes it possible.

Tim

We have so many bases simply as a leftover of WWII, many have been sold off and are now Industrial estates, some were chopped up and are now small local airfields and some are still in use.
However, a lof of 'bases' in the original list posted here are little more than storage depots. Nothing to get excited about.

Looking over the list, I noticed one thing I didn't see: MoD Central Headquaters! Here in the US, the Department of Defense has it's central headquaters at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA.

Where is the UK central Headquaters for the Ministry of Defense located?

Tim

Our MOD is split into Land sea and air forces and each has its own C&C places.
MOD itself has a big presence in London but also at Corsham

This place will tell you and show photos of it

homepage.ntlworld.com...

It`s very well hidden

The difference with the US and UK we the UK have better Secret Squirrels and therefore are able to disguise better.The US on the other hand tell`s everybody about them and how there bigger,better and more advanced.

We also disguise ours much more with the correct spelling.
We call it the Ministry of Defence rather than Defense.

That confuses the spies

The answer my friend is so blatantly obvious, that you will kick yourself for not realising.

The UK central headquarters for the Ministry of Defence, IS, itself.

Without giving too much away, as other people have said, we really do have SECRET SQUIRRELS and they know how to hide in plain sight.

Don't bother Googling for the MoD, 'cause you won't find it. It's secret!

[edit on 22-6-2007 by fritz]

I know what the MoD's headquaters is, I asked WHERE it is!

This place has to have a location: London, Wilshire, ? Where is this thing?

As for your comment about the Ministry of Defense being itself, what is your point? I expected the MoD to be the MoD. What else would it be?

Lastly, your comment on the spelling. Both of us are actually correct! The British spell it with a "C", as you have done. However, over here in the USA we spell defense with an "S":

Defense = American spelling

Defence = British Spelling

Wikipedia: British and American Spelling differences

Follow the link and you'll see what I mean.

Tim

Right Ghost01, let's cut the BS.

You want to know where our MoD is, right? Well I'm not going to tell you!

It's secret.

Anyway Ghost01, you KNOW where it is. You just haven't found it yet.

I will however, give you a very BIG clue. Have a look at BEN.

You have to go to Burger King in Regents Street, go into the male toilets.There you`ll see three hand dryers opposite the urinals.The one on the left is for Navy,middle for Army and right for RAF.You hold the push button in for 5 seconds then twist clockwise 90 degrees.You will then see a door and your in

When I went in there, there was a strange man at the urinals smiling at me?. He kept winking at me, do you think he was the 'Rear' admiral?

No he would have been from REMF (Rear Ecoholon MotherFu..er).

So....should we start planning to blow it up???

I think somebodies been watch and believing Spy kids movies.

We have the intomet, no sorry inlonet no no its the INTERNET yes thats it.Also spooks don`t have tenticles so then can move around anyway they want to.

Dont you think a constant stream of helicoptors would cause suspision more than anything else

[edit on 23-6-2007 by nescafe8572]

I live about 5 miles from Foulness, at Burnham-On-Crouch, and the thumping great detonations when they are testing... stuff make the whole boat (a not-insubstantial lump of timber weighing 43 tons) flex like a canoe. The b*%stards. At least they only carry out the loud tests during the week.

I keep on idly contemplating rowing downriver in my little inflatable to have a look around, in the middle of the night. One of the lads who works on the marina here says he knows people on the island, though, maybe I'll ask him first.

I had my boat up in Scotland, at Lossiemouth, this January. Its like a free airshow there during the week. I heard they are going to get the new Euro-fighters there. Does anyone know if that's so?

Another thing Ghost01.

There are a great many sub-divisions of our MoD. If you want to know the HQ of our MoD then, as I suggested, take a look at BEN.

However, if you want the Ministry of Defence HQ proper, where all the REAL work goes on, then take a look at Olde Salsberry or better yet, take a look at the world famous place where they used to make a certain type of carpet.

Far too many clues there for you. I think I've just clouded the issue and confused you.

But Ghost, as Mulder said, 'The truth is out there Scully, You just need to know where to look!'

Fritz

You cracking me up just put him out of his misery before he gets all girly

I can't mate. IT'S SECRET.

Anyway, as he hasn't replied extolling the virtues of my barbed whit, one can only assume he's off looking for said building.

Or it it an underground bunker?

Or a secret aeroplane that flies from Macrihanish?

Perhaps, it's just a figment of his imagination. Who know the secret of the Black Magic box?