Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Drill halls


Graeme Fisher

Recommended Posts

our drill hall is now used for the army and air cadets, its a bit derelict though

dave

p.s, its in Bexhill On Sea , East Sussex, forgot to mention that

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Graeme,

Another drill hall for your file, the link below is a direct link to a compressed file containing the info from an article from my research into Little Cornard, near Sudbury, Suffolk.

click here

Hope this is of interest,

Stewart

Stewart, due to a bad connection, it took ages to download, but boy, was it worth it!

The photos are very good.

Thanks

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

our drill hall is now used for the army and air cadets, its a bit derelict though

dave

p.s, its in Bexhill On Sea , East Sussex, forgot to mention that

Thanks, Dave, is it the one next to the leisure centre in Downs road?

Why are there two of them? Is Bexhill that affluent? One to use, one spare.....

Thanks

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well as far as i know it was always drill hall not drill halls. It was just designed with two halls i suppose. However they are not very big. One is now derelict and out of use and one is used for the cadets, although that one is in poor nick.

dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Graeme

Drill met by moonlight…

I am emailing you a picture of a moonlit drill hall.

‘Tis very poetical.

hulo stars…

Gwyn

hulo sky........

It is.

One thanks one.

G

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yes it is , why are you local

dave

Dave

O no.

But ask the family why I holiday in the most obscure places.....

Cheers

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Chris Werb

Hi

I love old drill halls and have found a few here in Orkney. Most survive here as private homes etc. as there has been very little redevelopment in rural areas. I even found one on Sanday (together with a 64pr RML battery and a rifle range) that the 'official' history of the Orkney and Shetland Volunteers never mentioned existing. In some cases I have even located the original ordnance (a 64pr RML rusting away in a farmyard, for instance.). Kirkwall TA centre is, unfortunately, a horrible pebbledashed 1970s monstrosity. Our, once large TA is now an infantry platoon shared with Shetland (21 men and women based in Orkney), so, unless the new counter terrorism/civil defence role saves them I think the whole site (on which many buildings have already be demolished) will soon go for development - being in a prime location in Kirkwall.

Whilst doing some research for a post on tank-net.org I came across some minutes of a Defence Committee meeting describing the sale of former TA assets that some of you may find poignient (if you're a sad old ****** like me!):

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-offic.../93/2112002.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A fascinating read, Chris.

As far as the stuff on orkney goes, get out here with your camera and record it all, before it goes. Your local library will advise the nearest archive facility who should gratefully receive your endeavours.

Do it now, cos no-one else will; and it shall all be lost.

Sad old ******? No, guardian of our heritage....

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The Drill Hall in Cheadle, Cheshire. Now the "village hall" and,s eemingly used almost exclusively for play groups and other assorted kiddie activities.

post-6-1089031249.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, John.

Nice to know that the place has been recycled, and that our future generations are benfitting from the facilities.

Hopefully this lot won't have to march away.......

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Graeme

I have just attended a business meeting held in the Regimental Training Wing ( Building (RTWB) of 29 Commando Regt. RA. in Plymouth. The Regiment is based at The Royal Citadel on the Hoe and the RTWB is just across the road behind the Citadel. The building was opened in 1912 as a drill hall for Devon RGA (TF). It became the RTWB in 1987. I didn't have my camera with me however I am due to go back shortly for another meeting and I will take some pics then.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow. Theres just so much knowledge around.

Can anyone tell me of 5th Bedfords (TA) Drill halls please?

Thank you

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave - lovely info.

Why isn't your camera in your pocket at all times?

Seriously - most grateful.

Thanks

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve

The 5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment was dispersed thus:

HQ and A Company at Gwyn Street, Bedford

B and C Companies in Luton at premises in Old Bedford rd, now a leisure centre,

D Co. in Biggleswade with drill stations at Sandy, Arlesey, and St. Neots,

E Co. at Ampthill with a drill station at Olney,

F Co. at Luton, drill stations at Dunstable (Church St) and Leighton Buzzard (quite possibly the Town Hall)

G Co Fletton and Yaxley,

H Co at Huntingdon, St.Ives and Ramsey.

If anyone can provide an address for any of these, I'd be grateful.

Hope it helps

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Graeme

I may be able to obtain a plan of the Devon RGA Drill Hall. I have mislaid your postal address. Please e-mail it off-forum if you would like me to try.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Graeme

I will be in Plymouth the week after next and will take some photos then.

Mean time the Drill Hall is indicated by the arrow on this photo.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Graeme

I didn't. Photo courtesy of the Regiment.... I have contacts!

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest St Andrew

Meant to post in this Topic. Started new topic instead.

My wife has just started work as the Bar Manager of The St Andrews Hotel in Lhanbryde, Scotland which is built around the villages Drill Hall (still recognisable as such) She would be very grateful of any information as to who used the hall (The building housing Morays Local Collection suffered fire, little lost but makes research difficult). She would like to include some reference to the Men who used the hall in the Bar itself. I will forward some pictures of the hall for your database.

Cheers

R. Urquhart

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The offer of pictures is, as always, gratefully received.

I have precious little on this particular location, but it is listed as being a drill station of the G company of the 6th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders. The 6th Battalion had its main premises at Garmouth, Lhanbryde would have been perhaps half a company strength, and the building not necessarily built primarily as a military location.

More on 6th Bn on the mothersite.

Thanks

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I think I ought to explain that I’ve deleted some of my photos and comments from this thread. Graeme has good copies of all my pictures, so I didn’t think there was any point in them sitting on here just slowing down the pages’ loading speed.

That’s all, no other agenda. :)

Gwyn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Photos, like drill halls, don't always remain; swept away in the name of progress.

Seriously, tho', Gwyn has pointed out that I have copies of lots of picures and will share with all and sundry - just ask.

(He says - "Where's that thingy I put on the side the other day?" She says "Oh, I tidied it up." He thinks "Lost, then....")

Thanks Gwyn, for the photos and the clean up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope it doesn’t look as if I was tidying up thoughtlessly.

I don’t see other people’s threads as a showcase for my own thoughts; I can do that on my own website if I want to. Anything I have to say about anything isn’t so essential that it ought to be preserved for ever and the same applies to my poor quality pictures and compressions. I’d posted quite a lot of photos in this topic and they all take time to download. I felt that the important focus of this thread was Graeme’s appeal for information and pictures and if superfluous postings of photos or comments by me was slowing down pages, they ought to go.

I’d have taken even more out had I not been conscious of leaving some people’s messages sitting without a context. Personally, if a thread takes forever to load because of photos, I give up and don’t bother reading it. I didn’t want this to be the case with Graeme’s quest for material, because I think that is valuable and important. It deserves pinning and highlighting, not sliding round somewhere in a collection of threads.

As I described in a thread of my own here a couple of weeks ago, I try regularly to prune out my own postings where I can when they’ve ‘expired’. I keep copies of almost everything I’ve ever posted on internet forums and obviously of all my own photos. So nothing I have removed is 'lost'.

I am sorry if I’ve done the wrong thing, but my primary motive was to help to enable people to see what was important.

I apologise this isn’t my usual coherent and structured writing because I am actually extremely distressed and utterly mortified that I have made a misjudgment despite good intentions.

Gwyn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oops.

I MEANT to say, thanks, Gwyn, I hadn't considered the fact that jpegs, whilst relevant to the posts they're attached to, do rather fill the place up.

I AM grateful for the pruning, and publicly apologise for the flippancy and easily misconstrued tone.

A number of people have been (and still are) incredibly valuable to the project - you know who you are. Anyone who takes time to photograph places and premises, writes something, even just sends a one line email with an address, provides as valuable a contribution as the stuff I've done so far.

Perhaps now's the time for me to develop this as a website so people can see what's cooking..... Watch this space (in a few months!)

In between times, I'm more than happy to share stuff with anyone who asks.

Graeme

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...