Carver Barracks

Carver Barracks
Debden, Uttlesford
Entrance to Carver Barracks
Carver Barracks Location within Essex
Coordinates	51°59′15″N 0°17′03″E / 51.98757°N 0.28416°E / 51.98757; 0.28416Coordinates: 51°59′15″N 0°17′03″E / 51.98757°N 0.28416°E / 51.98757; 0.28416
Type	Barracks
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	British Army
Site history
Built	1935–1937
Built for	War Office
In use	1975–present
Garrison information
Occupants	33 Engineer Regiment

Carver Barracks is a British Army base on the former site of RAF Debden, approximately 1 mile north of the village of Debden, in Essex. The nearest town is Saffron Walden.

History

The airfield was built in 1935–37 and the runways laid in 1940. It was first occupied by the Royal Air Force (RAF), followed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in September 1942. It was returned to RAF control on 5 September 1945. After the RAF withdrew from the station in 1974, the site was handed to the British Army and re-established as Carver Barracks in 1975.^[1] The barracks were named after Field Marshal Lord Carver, a former Royal Tank Regiment officer.^[2]

In the 1980s, Carver Barracks was home to the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, the 13th/18th Royal Hussars and the 9th/12th Royal Lancers – all armoured reconnaissance regiments. It was also home to the Falklands competition, which is held every year for the air training corps. The site is now home to 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal)^[3] and 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal).^[4]

In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced that the site would close in 2031.^[5]

References