Holdenhurst Road drill hall, Bournemouth explained

Holdenhurst Road drill hall
Type:	Drill hall
Map Type:	Dorset
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location in Dorset
Location:	Bournemouth
Coordinates:	50.728°N -1.8604°W
Built:	1897
Used:	1897–2006
Built For:	War Office

The Holdenhurst Road drill hall is a former military installation in Bournemouth, Dorset.

History

The building was designed as the headquarters of the 4th Volunteer Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment and was completed in 1897.^[1] This unit evolved to become the 7th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment in 1908.^[2] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to India.^[3] The battalion amalgamated with 5th Battalion to form 5th/7th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment at Southampton in 1921. After briefly serving as the headquarters of the 5th/7th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment,^[4] the drill hall was used as a headquarters for the Local Defence Volunteers during the Second World War.^[5] It was subsequently decommissioned and converted for residential use in 2006.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Portsmouth. 3 September 2017.
2. Web site: 7th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment. Regiments.org. 3 September 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20070418073034/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-england/vinf-so/ha-4.htm. 18 April 2007. dmy-all.
3. Web site: Hampshire Regiment. The Long, Long Trail. 29 December 2015.
4. Inscription on the face of the building
5. Web site: Bournemouth and the Second World War 1939–1945. 15. 3 September 2017.
6. Web site: 7th Hampshire Regiment – WW1 Tablets. Imperial War Museum. 3 September 2017.