DCLI Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 I am not sure if I am in the correct place for this topic but then again... I have a postcard from a relative, sent in 1915 from a camp on Salisbury Plain. The post mark has Ro----stone Camp. Any ideas for the name of the camp Does anyone know anything about this place? Does it still exist? Where was it? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7:29am Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 I am not sure if I am in the correct place for this topic but then again... I have a postcard from a relative, sent in 1915 from a camp on Salisbury Plain. The post mark has Ro----stone Camp. Any ideas for the name of the camp Does anyone know anything about this place? Does it still exist? Where was it? Regards <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Rollestone i reckon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnreed Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 Rollestone Camp still exists or rather did when I was in the army, I left in 1992. It is located at the crossroads on the road between Larkhill Camp and Shrewton. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Tom Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 Hello, Rollestone is now a village on the southern edge of the Plain, near the village of Shrewton, about 6 km due west of Larkhill. I don't think there is a camp there now but there was probably one there in 1914 and also in WW2. Old Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCLI Posted 15 June , 2005 Author Share Posted 15 June , 2005 Many thanks. keying in Rollestone to Google produces a mass of interesting information, war diaries etc. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 The site of Rollestone Camp is still there, but now used by contractors to the MOD. There is no village though. I worked there in the early 1980's, converting the camp into a temporary prison, during the Prison Officers strike. In the small copse adjacent to the camp there were original RFC huts, since gone, which were part of a balloon training school. The balloon hanger from WW1 is still at the end of the site. Terry Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon R Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 Is Larkhill the one very near Stonehenge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 This may be of interest. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcerha Posted 15 June , 2005 Share Posted 15 June , 2005 This may be of interest. Dave <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The modern day Rollestone Camp (or what remains of it) is on the other (western) side of the road between the cross roads and the Bustard which is across from its location as shown on the map. As an added point of interest it was used as internment camp for housing Iraqi potential Saddam Hussein sympathisers in the Gulf War of 1991. Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 16 June , 2005 Share Posted 16 June , 2005 A tented camp-site was established close to Rollestone Bake Farm and east of the Salisbury-Bustard road in 1904 (map reference 098448). With the outbreak of the Great War, four hutted camps, part of the thirty-four forming Larkhill Garrison, were erected,with building starting in mid-October 1914. An Army Service Corps supply depot was also established. Norman Tennant of the Royal Field Artillery noted in" A Saturday Night Soldier's War" that "the area was a vast sea of mud and wooden hutments and it was here that I engendered a lasting hate for the inimical menace of army camps". Others were equally unimpressed with Rollestone. In 1916 a postcard-sender there might be forgiven for over-stating his case about an un-named village he thought was the nearest reminder of civilisation: "3 houses in it. It is about 5 miles away and is the nearest to us. Haven't seen a girl since being here." (In fact Shrewton, with rather more than three houses, was just two miles distant. The description fits the hamlet at the Bustard Inn, one mile away.) In 1916 Rollestone was taken over by Australian training battalions. In 1917 an Australian from the camp was the first soldier locally to be accused of assaulting the police; he received two sentences of six and three months' hard labour, to run concurrently. Later that year another Australian was killed when being trained to use a Lewis Gun; one shell in its magazine of dummy ammunition was live. On the other side of the Bustard road the Royal Flying Corps established Number 1 Balloon School, which continued after the war as the School of Balloon Training and was mainly concerned with training observers. In early 1919 members of Queen Mary's Auxiliary Army Corps were based at Rollestone. The four army camps were demolished shortly afer the war ended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve shepherd Posted 17 June , 2005 Share Posted 17 June , 2005 DCLI My old TA Unit Used to use this Camp during training weekends. also the Mortar Platoon Used to met at the Bustard Pub before deploying onto the ranges. We had a reunion there before Christmas when 3rd PWRR were billited at the camp page400 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon R Posted 18 June , 2005 Share Posted 18 June , 2005 [ Norman Tennant of the Royal Field Artillery noted in" A Saturday Night Soldier's War" that "the area was a vast sea of mud and wooden hutments and it was here that I engendered a lasting hate for the inimical menace of army camps". Not Norman again, he keeps popping up everywhere! He was D bty 245th bde. RFA (TF), one of the units I'm researching and I can't of course let anyone mention him without telling them this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 7 July , 2005 Share Posted 7 July , 2005 Herewith belatedly a postcard pic of Rollestone Camp as the huts were nearing completion, probably in early 1915. The card is postmarked September 11, 1915. I've several other cards from Rollestone showing very primitive shacks with corrugated iron roofs, perhaps a variation on the Aylwin patented design that is discussed (and illustrated) in a topic elsewhere in this forum. This card was published by T L Fuller, the most prolific and accomplished local photographer of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 12 May , 2015 Share Posted 12 May , 2015 It wasn't in Derbyshire, as some recruits found out when they got to that county and found they should be in Wiltshire! Glamorgan and Monmouth recruiting order Once or twice I've ruminated on GWF about confusing locations, including railway stations, that must have misled a lot of people. See my post 13. There was even a mis-spelt Rolleston Camp postmark. I have an example on a postcard dated May 11, 1915 and showing Stonehenge. Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill24chev Posted 12 May , 2015 Share Posted 12 May , 2015 It wasn't in Derbyshire, as some recruits found out when they got to that county and found they should be in Wiltshire! Moonraker There is a story about a Seaman catching a late night train for Harwich at Manchester Victoria Station He is a bit worse for wear after a good send off and asks a porter what platform the train for Harwich leaves from. He gets in a carriage and immediately falls asleep He wakes up when the train comes to a stop at its final destination Leaves carriage and asks a member of station staff where the docks are. Railway man is initially a bit confused then realises what as happened and tells Seaman "no docks here mate this is Horwich Lancashire not Harwich. Seaman had slept for only about half an hour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 12 May , 2015 Share Posted 12 May , 2015 I knew more than one person who arrived in Cambridge, asking for directions to the Military Hospital. Pillocks. CMH (Cambridge Military Hospital) was named after the old Duke, and was, of course, in the 'Shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now