Stirling Lines | |
Nearest Town: | Credenhill, Herefordshire, |
Country: | England |
Type: | Army barracks |
Gridref: | SO454428 |
Pushpin Map: | Herefordshire |
Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Herefordshire |
Pushpin Label: | Stirling Lines |
Pushpin Label Position: | top |
Ownership: | Ministry of Defence |
Operator: | British Army |
Controlledby: | Special Air Service |
Site Area: | 392hectare |
Built: | (as RAF Credenhill) |
Used: | 1939 – 1994 (RAF) 1999 – present (British Army) |
Condition: | Operational |
Occupants: | |
Icao: | EGVH |
Elevation: | 240m (790feet) |
H1-Number: | 08/26 |
H1-Length: | 150m (490feet) |
H1-Surface: | Grass |
Footnotes: | Source: UK Military AIP[1] |
Stirling Lines is a British Army garrison in Credenhill, Herefordshire; the headquarters of the 22 Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS), Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) and 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment. The site was formerly a Royal Air Force (RAF) non-flying station for training schools, known as RAF Credenhill.[2] [3]
In 1958, the Special Air Service (SAS) was temporarily based at Merebrook Camp in Malvern, Worcestershire, a former emergency military hospital that had remained largely unused since 1945.[4] In 1960, the SAS moved to a former Royal Artillery boys' training unit, Bradbury Lines in Hereford, which was renamed in 1984 to Stirling Lines in honour of the regiment's founder, Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling. In 1994, the RAF ceased using RAF Credenhill; the Army then obtaining the site to redevelop as a new base for the SAS; works commenced in 1997. The SAS commenced relocation of staff and equipment to Credenhill from Hereford with the redevelopment of the site. The move was completed in May 1999. On 30 September 2000, the official opening ceremony was held for the new Stirling Lines with the clock tower re-erected on the new parade ground. The Hereford site was sold to a property developer in March 2001.[5]
The following units are based at Stirling Lines:[6] [7]