storage hut, Easton Royal, Wiltshire

[Moonraker]

Just had the newsletter of the Wiltshire Local History Forum, which has an article about the village of Easton Royal, just north of Salisbury Plain. It states that on the eastern side of the recreation ground, which is south of the Pewsey-Burbage road, stands the wooden village hall. "Once a World War I storage hut on Salisbury Plain, it was dismantled, transported here, re-assembled by village volunteers, opened in 1935 and has done the village proud ever since."

This

image

shows a smart-looking building, evidently with a modern roof.

Moonraker

[Lancashire Fusilier]

"Once a World War I storage hut on Salisbury Plain, it was dismantled, transported here, re-assembled by village volunteers, opened in 1935 and has done the village proud ever since."

Moonraker

Moonraker,

Your building, was most likely an ' Armstrong Hut ' originally.

Here are some details :-

" At the beginning of the First World War, Asquith, the Prime Minister, appointed as his secretary of State Lord Kitchener. Kitchener predicted that the war was likely to be protracted and he saw a need for a large army to sustain it.

The Royal Engineer Corps expanded considerably, from 25,000 men in 1914 to 315, 000 in 1918.

On the home front, they engaged in activities to sustain the war effort and there was of course a need to house the troops. An Army Officer, Major Armstrong, designed a series of schemes for hutted camps in various parts of the country and engineers were appointed to supervise the housing construction."

Design of Armstrong's Sleeping Hut:

60 feet long, 20 ft wide, 10 feet high

To sleep 30 men, 15 either side

a gangway ran down the centre to table and benches.

One of the large Camps fitted with ' Armstrong Huts ' was Seaford Camp - Postcard photo attached.

I have also seen reports of these Armstrong Huts being dismantled, and re-assembled elsewhere, as with your village's building.

Regards,

LF

[Moonraker]

We've noted several examples of wartime huts being re-erected elsewhere (with village halls being a not uncommon use), but I couldn't find an appropriate thread to which to append the Easton Royal example.

It has been suggested that Major R H O Armstrong had started his design work before the outbreak of hostilities. By August 14, 1914 he had submitted plans to the War Office. I've seen different numbers for the men they were designed to hold, with one reference to 24 men and one NCO, and there are stories of far more being crammed in.

I've passed through Easton Royal countless times in the last 50 years and on a couple of occasions have sought to park my car there before walking up to the Plain. In fact there's really nowhere that convenient, so I usually leave the car at Milton Lilbourne, just over a mile away. I wonder how many more Great War memorabilia I've unwittingly passed?

I suspect that there's a touch of "Trigger's Broom" about the Easton Royal hut, and in almost a century much restoration work must have been necessary on the walls as well as the roof. I'll check it out when next I'm out that way next summer.

Moonraker

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Moonraker,

Here is a photo of a WW1 Armstrong Hut Camp, and also a photograph of an ' Armstrong Hut ' that was dis-assembled, brought to a village near Rippon, re-assembled and used as a Village Hall.

Regards,

LF

[mebu]

I have the construction drawing of the Armstrong Hut (there were 4 patterns, slightly different sizes, apparently) difficult to copy but will do so if needed.

Peter

[Moonraker]

Yesterday I inspected the outside of the Easton Royal hut. The exterior does look like that of an Armstrong hut and appears to be in extremely good condition; it's a little difficult to credit that it's a century old.

Moonraker

[green_acorn]

I have the construction drawing of the Armstrong Hut (there were 4 patterns, slightly different sizes, apparently) difficult to copy but will do so if needed.

Peter

Hi mebu,

I just saw your December 2013 post about having drawings of the Armstrong Huts. Would it be possible to get a copy of them from you? As a side hobby I am building a late WW1 themed model railway layout and would like to include the huts, however, being in Australia, I am a bit far away to get a copy from the TNA.

Regards,

Hendo