Army Camp

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There seems to be very little information on the Army Camp at Upton, or the units that were based there. If you can help with further information, and/or pictures, please contact me.

 

In 1938 the War Department requisitioned around 27.5 acres of land from Arrowe House Farm. The site was located next to the Police Station on Rake Lane (later on in 1938 this part of Rake Lane was renamed Arrowe Park Road).

 

The land was to be used as a mobilisation stores but also contained a four acre magazine with three reinforced concrete bunkers.

The RAOC (Royal Army Ordnance Corp) occupied the site by 1940 as there are references to them in St Mary's parish magazines for that year:

 

"... the soldiers of the RAOC billeted at Greenbank House and working at the ammunition depots down Arrowe Park Road".

 

"In November the traditional hotpot supper was held in the Eagle and Crown with guests from the officers of the RAOC now stationed in the village".

The bunkers are described as being constructed from solid concrete complete with heavy steel doors and surrounded by a blast wall of concrete and banked up earth, each of these 3 structures was about 150 feet long by 50 feet wide and 10 feet high.

 

The camp was known as 64 AAOD (Anti-Aircraft Ordnance Depot) Site. After the war ended, the site became a Territorial Army camp and in December 1947 the 23rd Armoured Workshop, REME commanded by Major F W Bartlett moved onto the site, followed by the 113th Assault Engineer Workshops (special), REME commanded by Major H Jones.

 

About 1955 around 6 acres of the site (which had probably housed the living quarters) were de-requisitioned and returned to Arrowe House Farm.

 

In the 1960s the site was also used by the 63rd Cheshire's Army Cadet Force and 2184 squadron Air Cadets. The Air Cadets are still on the site, their buildings built on the foundations of the original huts.
Air Cadets Building

The TA left the site, and sometime after 1972 British Telecom took it over and it was used as a TEC (Telephone Engineering Centre). BT remained on the site until the late 1980s or early 1990s, the TEC was then moved to the telephone exchange in Church Road.

 

About the same time that BT arrived, a Post Office sorting office was built on part of the site. After the departure of BT, part of the site was used as a Heavy Goods Vehicle Test Track and a driving test centre was built.

 

The remaining buildings on the site have now been demolished. In July 1996 a planning application for non-food retail development was turned down and in 2007 outline planning permission was granted for a development of light industrial units.
Army Camp