Claro Barracks Explained

Claro Barracks
Type:Barracks
Map Type:North Yorkshire
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within North Yorkshire
Location:Ripon
Ownership:Ministry of Defence
Built:1914-1915
Used:1915-Present
Built For:War Office
Occupants:21 Engineer Regiment

Claro Barracks is a British Army installation in Ripon, North Yorkshire. It is set to close in 2026.

History

The barracks, which were originally established as the command depot i.e. convalescent camp for Northern Command,[1] opened in April 1915 during the First World War.[2] Wilfred Owen wrote many of his poems when based at the barracks, known at the time as Ripon Army Camp,[3] in spring 1918.[4]

At the start of the Second World War, the School of Military Engineering, which had been based in Chatham, was split into two training battalions, one of which re-located to the barracks. The barracks were renamed Harper Barracks, after Lieutenant-General Sir George Harper, a famous engineer general. The site was identified as a home for the School of Bomb Disposal, formed in 1941, reflecting the nomination of the Royal Engineers as being responsible for the discipline. Both the School of Military Engineering and the School of Bomb Disposal returned to Chatham in 1949.[5] During the 1950s, Harper Barracks was the home of a Royal Signals training regiment.[6]

In 1959, the barracks became the home of 38 Engineer Regiment, who would remain there for nearly half a century.[7] The barracks was rebuilt and renamed Claro Barracks, after Claro Hill - a local beauty spot, in the 1960s.[8] In 1974, a bomb attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army badly damaged the barracks.[9]

The barracks went on to become the home of 21 Engineer Regiment in 2008.[10]

Future closure

The Ministry of Defence announced in March 2013 that the site had been earmarked for closure.[11] Consequently, in November 2016, it was announced that the site would close in 2019.[12] This was later extended to 2023,[13] and once more to 2026.[14]

Current units

The following notable units are based at Claro Barracks.[15]

British Army

Corps of Royal Engineers

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Command Depots. The Long, Long Trail. 4 September 2016.
  2. Web site: The tale of two Ripons - the city and the camp. The Harrogate Advertiser. 27 July 2014. 4 September 2016.
  3. Web site: Borrage Lane, Ripon. Wilfred Owen Association. 4 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160917132734/http://www.wilfredowen.org.uk/virtual-tour/ripon. 17 September 2016. dead.
  4. Web site: Ripon fears economic blow as Claro barracks closes after a century. 5 March 2013. The Independent. 5 April 2014.
  5. Web site: Army Bomb Disposal School, Harper Barracks, Ripon, Yorkshire. Imperial War Museum. 5 January 2016. 18 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161018203654/http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/agent/37641. dead.
  6. Web site: Looking back: from our archives. September 1956. Ripon Gazette. 4 September 2016.
  7. Web site: 38 Regiment. British Army units 1945 on. 4 September 2016.
  8. Web site: Captain John William ("Bill") Bradford; end note 37. Re Ubique. 4 September 2016.
  9. Web site: Former soldier admits Army bomb attack 22 years ago. Herald Scotland. 6 August 1996. 5 April 2014.
  10. Web site: Location overview: Ripon. Ministry of Defence. 8 November 2016.
  11. Web site: Claro barracks closure plan 'a hammer blow' to Ripon. 6 March 2013. BBC. 5 April 2014.
  12. Web site: A Better Defence Estate. November 2016. Ministry of Defence. 8 November 2016.
  13. News: Is Your Military Base Closing? Read The Full List Of Sites Shutting. 20 October 2020. Forces News. 20 October 2020. 5 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210805215139/https://www.forces.net/news/your-military-base-closing-read-full-list-sites-shutting. dead.
  14. Web site: Disposal database: House of Commons report. 26 November 2021.
  15. Web site: Army:Written question - 194616. Lancaster. Mark. 29 November 2018. UK Parliament. en. 30 November 2018.
  16. Web site: . 24 January 2017 . Royal Engineers Association 126th Management Committee minutes . 12 August 2019 . reahq.org.uk . Royal Engineers Association . 29 and 37 AES will move to 21 and 32 Engineer Regiment as part of this re-role.

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