Brook Street drill hall, Welshpool explained

Brook Street drill hall
Type:Drill hall
Map Type:Wales Powys
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Powys
Location:Welshpool, Wales
Coordinates:52.662°N -3.1533°W
Built:Mid 19th century
Used:Mid 19th century – Present
Built For:War Office

The Brook Street drill hall is a military installation in Welshpool.

History

An armoury was established at Welshpool in the mid-19th century.[1] It became the headquarters of the Montgomeryshire Rifle Volunteers in 1861[2] and, although the regiment evolved to become 7th (Merioneth and Montgomery) Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers with its headquarters at Newtown in 1908, the battalion still maintained a presence at Welshpool in the form of C Company.[2]

Meanwhile, the building had also become the headquarters of the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry in the late 19th century.[3] [4] The regiment was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Middle East.[5] After the war, the yeomanry were absorbed by the 7th (Merioneth and Montgomery) Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers.[3]

Following the Second World War and the conversion of the battalion to artillery, the drill hall was decommissioned; it was converted into a sports centre[6] in 1980[7] but it is still used as a training facility by the air cadets.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Papers relating to the Armoury, Welshpool. National Archives. 17 December 2017.
  2. Web site: Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire Volunteers. https://web.archive.org/web/20070817023339/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-wales/vinf/merimont.htm. dead. 17 August 2007. Regiments.org. 17 December 2017.
  3. Web site: Montgomeryshire Yeomanry . 17 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070715140005/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-wales/vcav/montgomer.htm . 15 July 2007 . bot: unknown . dmy-all .
  4. Web site: Welshpool. The Drill Hall Project. 17 December 2017.
  5. Web site: Montgomeryshire Yeomanry. The Long, Long Trail. 17 December 2017.
  6. Web site: The Armoury. The Armoury, Welshpool. 17 December 2017.
  7. Web site: Recreaction in Welshpool. BBC. 17 December 2017. 15 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120315112547/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-320000-306000/page/13. dead.
  8. Web site: 2364 (Welshpool) Squadron, Air Training Corps. 17 December 2017.