| Robertson Barracks | |
| Type: | Barracks |
| Map Type: | Norfolk |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Norfolk |
| Location: | Swanton Morley |
| Ownership: | Ministry of Defence |
| Used: | 1995-Present |
| Occupants: | 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards |
Robertson Barracks, formerly RAF Swanton Morley, is a military installation near Swanton Morley in Norfolk. It is home to 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards and is set to close in 2029.
RAF Swanton Morley was a new station planned under the RAF expansion scheme but not completed before the start of the Second World War. It was part of 2 Group, RAF Bomber Command until December 1944 when it was handed over to 100 Group – the RAF unit responsible for countering German defences against the British strategic bombing – as they needed another airfield close to their HQ at Bylaugh Hall.[1]
On 4 July 1942, American and British airmen took off from this station as part of the first combined bombing raid of World War II. 226 Squadron RAF had been tutoring the US 15th Bombardment Squadron. Both Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower were at RAF Swanton Morley for this mission, which saw six crews from 15th Bombardment Squadron fly a raid with six crews from the RAF, using Boston light bombers belonging to 226 Squadron. The raid was made at low level against German airfields in the Netherlands.[2] [3] During the Second World War the station was home to the Bomber Support Development Unit (BSDU) of 100 Group.[1]
After the Second World War the station was home to No. 1 Air Signallers' School, and the Radio Warfare Establishment RAF, which later moved to RAF Watton.[4]
| RAF Swanton Morley | |
| Ensign: | File:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg |
| Ensign Size: | 90px |
| Nearest Town: | Swanton Morley, Norfolk |
| Country: | England |
| Type: | Royal Air Force flying station |
| Ownership: | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator: | Royal Air Force |
| Used: | 1940–6 September |
| Fate: | Transferred to British Army and became Robertson Barracks. |
| Condition: | Closed |
From June 1953 to 1995 the station was also used by 611 Volunteer Gliding School, when the station was listed for closure under Options for Change.[5]
The army barracks, named after Field Marshal Sir William Robertson, were established when RAF Swanton Morley was handed over to the British Army in 1995.[6] In April 1998, it became the base of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers,[7] who were replaced by the Light Dragoons in August 2000.[8]
The Light Dragoons left the barracks on 6 June 2015 and were replaced by the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards who were returning from Germany.[9]
The Army sometimes uses the Mid-Norfolk Railway to transport equipment, such as armoured vehicles used by 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, to their training facilities in other parts of the United Kingdom.[10]
The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards are currently based at Robertson Barracks[11] and are scheduled to be relocated to the new Caerwent Barracks on the base's closure.[12]
In 2013, the British Government identified Robertson Barracks as one of seven "core bases" in which it would invest.[13] However, in November 2016, the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would instead close in 2031,[14] this was later brought forward to 2029.[15]