English top secret base! ASHFORD

from nosing around on the net it seems templar barracks was sold to westbury and wimpey homes in 2002.so its probably a housing estate now although if you go find out about the origional base housing and whether the homes are still there ...........now theres a clue.

that does not mean that there is not an underground base there

well as I have said, my friend was based there. He says there is nothing of significance underground.

what position did your friend hold there? I know from the position of the bunker that it was very possible that any serviceman on the base wouldnt of known it was there,because it wasnt actually under the barracks at all.

He was on the security force protecting the base so he would have had access to most areas of the base. He even looked at the records relating to IRA suspects.
He also served with intelligence for a time.

Lots of the Regional Seat of Government (RSG) and similar Cold War bunkers and associated lands were sold off in the 90's - could it've been one of those? The official one was listed as in Maidstone, but who knows. However, I doubt strategically any really major bunker would've been in Ashford, as Kent / Surrey / east Hants seem to have been regarded as 'expendable' in potential invasion terms since WW2. The 'biggie' of UK bunkers has traditionally been assumed to be 'Burlington' at Corsham in Avon, although it's hardly been secret over the years...

Yeah. Many of these bunkers are well known and are now housing estates etc. The british government doesn't seem overly worried about covertness, as Boscombe Down can be seen from the Motorway (or A road - can't remember which one) and the location of Porton Down is seemingly common knowledge, as well as fyling dales. Raf Lossiemouth can be seen from the whole town, and Scampton ( I think) has 2 harriers at the main gates on the main road past it.


But on to abandoned facilities - does anyone know what the barracks is on the way from Amesbury to Bristol if you drive along the small roads? It used to have 2 artillery pieces at the gate. It has been hut down for several years, but i have still seen military activity at it, even after it closed.

I don't know if this helps any but the following is from Hansard: Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions.

Radiobiological Research Laboratory Alverstoke
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) reports and (b) other publications currently available from the radiobiological research laboratory at Alverstoke. [17901]
Mr. Artbuthnot: This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 28 February 1997:

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 28 February 1997:
I have been asked to reply to your question asking for a list of reports and publications currently available from the Radiobiological Research Laboratory at Alverstoke. In the absence of more specific information I have assumed that your question refers to the former Defence Radiological Protection Service, now known as DERA Radiation Protection Services (DRPS) at Alverstoke. As Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) this matter is my responsibility.
A list of reports and publications which have been issued by DRPS subsequent to the list published in Hansard, 8 December 1993 Col 285, is as follows: This list excludes classified reports and work which is still underway and not yet cleared for publication.
I hope this is helpful.
Unclassified DRPS reports and publications

Land Quality Survey at ABRO Ashford
Land Quality Survey at Ashford Site
Intrusive Site Investigation, Rowcroft and Templar Barracks, Ashford

Whenever the Defence Radiological Protection Services are called in to do a survey of a MOD site it is usually because the MOD are thinking of disposing of said site.

As for underground bunkers at Porton Down, from what I have discovered the only underground workings are wartime trenches ect used for gas warfare training. Not really the sort of area to put secret bunkers. Too many nasties in the ground, mustard, anthrax, etc.

Secret bunkers more likely on other parts of Salisbury Plain such as near Imber or Warminster. In fact during the 60s - early70s, mention was found in official documents of two bunkers, Warminster 1 and Warminster 2.

zero lift

I`ve not heard of one at Ashford but Fort Halstead near Sevenoaks has long been reputed to have a secret base. A number of activities are acknowledged to take place there ie Missile Technology department, Scientific and other research facilities.

I also have a friend who claims to have seen UFOs near to this place and although I can not coroborate his story, I have seen a few strange things there.

As I was based there in the early 1990's, I can dispel some of the rumours.

1. Ashford was the Intelligence Corps Depot (HG). Also based there were the Defence Intelligence and Security School (DISS), the Specialist Intelligence Wing (SIW) and the Joint Services Interrogation Organisation (JSIO).

2. DISS (not DI-55), was responsible for training UK, NATO and Commonwealth forces in military intelligence matters. Among other things, photography, photo interpretation, conduct after capture and counter intelligence.

3. JSIO had their own secure inner compound. The organisation was tri-service with a lot of RAF staff. If you want to join the RAF reserves, you can find out more. They did have cells with a rubber lined "hot room". JSIO had two roles, training "prone to capture" such as special forces and aircrew. The second role was debriefing prisoners of war and refugees. This task was performed in Bosnia, where statements of attrocities were taken by JSIO on behalf of the UN. Lots of my friends who worked at JSIO were posted to Bosnia.

4. SIW were based at Repton Manor. As this is still a current organisation and the peace process in Northern Ireland still unsteady, I won't go into details about their roles and training. If you want to read more about SIW, I suggest you read "Fishers of Men" by Rob Lewis, published by Hodder and Stoughton, 1999.

5. There was no underground facility/bunker or suchlike. There was a standard armoury which was above ground and a standard ammunition storage building. All of the communications facilities were above ground. The only underground facility I recall were a few sandbagged emplacements for defence. IF there was any kind of bunker/underground facility, there would have been standing instructions in the guard room as to what to do in the event of fire/flood/evacuation etc. The same goes for the Southern site, where the Royal Engineers had a depot.

The Home Office did have a corner of the site, near to the firing range and behind the Officers Mess, called the Forward Assault Working Group. We knew it as the FAWG site. They would build sections of walls and roofs and then blow bloody great big holes in them. (memories of the Italian Job, "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off."). Every so often there would be a warning and then a "boom". God knows what the locals thought.

6. There was a standard firing range as well as a CQB "shooting house". As there was a public footpath about 50m from Repton Manor, the vehicles used by SIW were parked elsewhere. They certainly were not parked under anything in case of satellite surveillance. The CQB house was disguised as an electricity substation. If you didnt know what it was, you'd miss it. I first found it by accident!

7. There was no "UFO" department of likewise based at any of the departments.

8. There was nothing sinister about Templar Barracks. Some of the departments were involved in secret work, but what do you expect with intelligence work. I visited the site again in 2000. Most of the buildings were still in good condition. A lot of the "sneaky" departments were based in portakabins due to lack of space.

It was a fun place to work at. Some of the Int Corps staff were famous for being the sort that would eat their own children, dead on a plate of salad if it meant getting a better posting than someone else. They weren't called Green Slime for nothing. Even the local Kent Police used to ask "what exactly do you do up there" whenever a soldier was nicked for anything.

Hope this helps dispel some of the rumours. The place is now being developed for housing. If any idiots decide to break in looking for "bunkers" you'd be disappointed.
Regards.

Further to my last, reading the earlier threads, I don't ever recall Special Forces setting mockups of buildings. You tended to notice if they were ever around. All of the interesting training was conducted "off site" at Lydd ranges.
As for the underground facility, once again, there were never any standing instructions (for liason with fire/rescue/IRA attack) or contact details/telephone numbers or staff lists for any "bunker", whereas there were for all the other departments, all of which conducted Top Secret work. Hope this clarifies this matter. Sorry to disappoint!

Maff thanks for clarifying things I wasnt based there like you but did visit the site on closure although still under the MOD and I was shown around by an officer in charge.
The parking area I referred to was if I recall near the main house and was like a square courtyard with shed like covers around the edge.(like lean tos) I was told that certain vehicles used for surveillance etc.. but marked up as everyday delivery vehicles were moved under cover when certain sattelites went over and that an alarm or something went off proir to this event to warn any special forces exercising or testing could get out of the way.
I remember a barn type building which was used for drivers on training who would drive in one door fire off at targets inside then speed out the other ,I was told this was to train in response to your vehicle being attacked and I actually went inside this building.
There also was a secret entrance in the basement that went up a staircase to the top of the house to a secret room up there. I saw the entrance and up stairs where the room was although I never saw inside the room.
As for the underground bunker, it was actually outside of the main fence under a farmed hill but the entrance was inside the base in one of the bases staff houses amongst the other houses used for base personnel. I was told the land outside was still MOD but rented to local farmers .I wasnt allowed in there because there was still sensitive stuff there but I was shown the house. So maybe it was possible that most of the personnel were un aware it was there. I was told before selling, the bunker would be filled and sealed prior to any sale because otherwise it would have to appear on the deeds and plans to any land sold. As for the building mock ups ,I was told one was done for the Iranian embassy seige (a lay out of the inside of the embassy ) was built inside one of the massive warehouse areas (not sure what you would call these buildings )but there was a lot of heavy lifting gear for tanks etc...I would assume these mock ups were quick wood built things .
I do remember seeing a huge steel reinforced door in one area laying against a wall ,I was informed it was on some bosnian officers HQ and that the special forces couldnt get it open ,so I asked what happened and was told they just blew a hole in the wall beside it instead ! in other words its alright having a tough inpregnable door but you need the wall around it to be as equally tough.

Well, the overhangs were just part of the manor building structure. The wooden buildings were just the existing outhouses for Repton Manor.
There were never any satellite "alarms". This idea sounds a bit "Dreamland" (shoot and scoot hides for secret aircraft). The only alarms were the standard alarms and announcements for the FAWG site. The vehicles used were often just parked outside the manor. You could see them from the public footpath. As they were only training vehicles, there was no need for being ultra secret ala Area-51.

The whole place was very security conscious. All I was trying to say was that had there been a bunker for the staff, it would have been on standing orders. The staff housing was in a vulnerable location on the far side of the depot, particularly at risk from IRA improvised mortars.
From what I recall, all of the houses were occupied and none of them ever had a bunker entrance.
Had there been, there would have been standing orders as to what to do if it was breached or there had been a fire. These orders existed for all of the other buildings.

Also, I knew by name or face most of the staff. It was after all a small establishment. If any of them had been connected with a bunker, it would have been common knowledge. Gossip was rife, after all it was a green slime trait.

I understand peoples interest in such things, but if there had been such a thing, we would have known about it.

I last visited the site in 2000. I was let in by the security guards who were happy for me to wonder round. One of the guards started talking about a lot of, well crap, to put it honestly. He was spouting all sorts of rumours that were simply not true. Had you been shown the entrance to the bunker as you had with the FAWG site, then I would gladly eat my hat.

I have a lot of memories of Ashford. It was an interesting place work in. There certainly wasn't anything sinister going on.

PS, all of the training for vehicles and being shot at etc all went on at Lydd ranges, not Ashford. The only places where firearms were used on site was in the two ranges, the large open air one and the CQB house.

Is SIW the same as 14 Intelligence Company?

Fascinating 1997 account of its surveillance operations in Northern Ireland detailed in The Operators: Inside 14th Intelligence Company - The Army's Top Secret Elite.

www.amazon.co.uk... SIN/0099728710/qid=1083426534/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_11_4/026-7459267-1608447

From what I can remember of that book, some of the details of their training sound like they took place in this Ashford base.

Also, the details of blowing up buildings does sound like stuff I've read about SAS training - Any McNab's books and others. I thought those training buildings were in the SAS's traditional Hereford base.

Amusing OT note: Lydd firing ranges allow bullets to expend out to sea (English Channel). They raise radio warnings (or something - not sure) to keep boats out of the shore area when they are firing. They also have patrol boats to let leisure sailors without radios (or access to the "firing today" warnings) know that it's dangerous. They use radar to see these boats. However, not all boats show up on their radar so they have to keep a visual watch for them. We discovered this when a big vessel roared up on us while sailing off Lydd and gave us a compass directions to clear the area. Presumably they had had to stop firing at Lydd when our boat was seen.

Pics I took recently.
public.fotki.com...

Originally posted by maff2002
Pics I took recently.
public.fotki.com...

excellent post, very good work

FWIW - mate was stationed at ashford - training/boot camp

Northwood - actually known as HMS Warrior - yep has an underground base - but no airfield - its in the middle of a residential area - should know lived 1/2mile from it.

Any more info on this base

reply to post by maff2002

Hi Maff2002 do you still have the photos of Ashford Barracks
Regards