1132 replies to this topic

[AndrewFrench]

Thanks on both counts, Frank - I,ve tried Ray Westlake's site and will  be contacting him for his permission to scavenge photos.

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As I understand it the Drill Hall was a Sqdn location with a drill station a troop location ie Wantage for D Sqdn Berks Yeo; The Wallingford Troop of the D Sqdn had a Drill Stn at Wallingford
Andrew French
Berks Yeo Museum

[Graeme Fisher]

Graeme

Whilst driving through the Staple Hill area of Bristol I noticed down a side street a building that could possibly be an old drill hall - now a small clothing factory.
It is in Wathen Street.

As the access gates were locked I was unable to investigate. Do you have a hall on your data base in this area? Will go back with my camera when next in the area.

Dave

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Dave

It's not an entry in the database, and I don't know the area.

What makes you think drill hall?

A photo would be good, I've some nice oddities including a chicken shed, so don't be shy......

Seriously, it's better to have and disprove than miss out.

Thanks mate.

Graeme

[Graeme Fisher]

As I understand it the Drill Hall was a Sqdn location with a drill station a troop location ie Wantage for D Sqdn Berks Yeo; The Wallingford Troop of the D Sqdn had a Drill Stn at Wallingford
Andrew French
Berks Yeo Museum

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Now then, Andrew, you've touched on a problem area for me.  The Yeomanry, being horsed, didn't seem to spend any time training as dismounted troops in a drill hall; often they were based at a large country house with stabling and acres to gallop across.

A number of premises were described as, or as having, riding schools.

And you're right with the drill station thing; often the smallest unit of men, half a company or less, gathering in the church hall or market hall. Likewise the Yeomanry. Drill halls tended to be built for a larger body of men.

Anything that could add to this area of understanding would be gratefully received

Graeme

[stiletto_33853]

Graeme,
Not sure if this one has come up before, but. In the book "A Soldiers Diary" by Captain H. Raymond Smith, when he joined up in the 1/8th Worcestershire Regiment it states "So inspired was I by this martial spectacle that I enlisted in the 8th Worcesters on the following Saturday, August 8th, and with a handful of other rookies was marched from the Drill Hall on Merstow Green to the station."


Andy

[gordon christie]

Can some one put up a picture of Clare street drill hall in Northampton?
How is it being used these days?
Thanks,
G

[Graeme Fisher]

Graeme,
Not sure if this one has come up before, but. In the book "A Soldiers Diary" by Captain H. Raymond Smith, when he joined up in the 1/8th Worcestershire Regiment it states "So inspired was I by this martial spectacle that I enlisted in the 8th Worcesters on the following Saturday, August 8th, and with a handful of other rookies was marched from the Drill Hall on Merstow Green to the station."
Andy

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Andy, I'm aware of that  drill hall, but the quote adds the personal dimension that takes it beyond bricks and mortar.

Many lads marched away from their drill hall to train with the Terriers, and many never came back. And the drill hall was often the last familiar place they knew....

Thanks

Graeme

[Graeme Fisher]

Can some one put up a picture of Clare street drill hall in Northampton?
How is it being used these days?
Thanks,
G

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Gordon

The drill hall database is lacking images of this drill hall, so if any other Pals could oblige, I'd be grateful.

I understand that Mr. and Mrs. Wills are regulars at WFA meetings held there, so perhaps Kate will snap away....
Graeme

[mcnab]

Otley's drill hall (West Yorks.) has long gone the way of all flesh; it's footprint is now occupied by HSBC (not Argos). I'm not sure exactly who and how it served during WWI - whether it was the whole 1/4th West Riding Howitzers RFA (TF) (comprising the 1/10th Otley, 1/11th Ilkley and 1/4th Burley Amm. Col.) or just the Otley battery. I assume all three on mobilisation - the 1/11th moved to Otley by steam engine in 1914, but they must have had drilling facilities in Ilkley somewhere.

Prior to Haldane, this lot were engineers and would have been served by the hall. Otley had a massive influx of troops of all shapes and sizes 14-18 due to the proximity of Farnley Camp (Northern Command Gas and Grenade School). Recruits for the 1/10th/1/11th were billeted, in large quantities, at the Mechanics Institute which is where the museum set up by former signaller with the 1/11th Eric Cowling now resides.

Otley Museum can provide a lot of information regarding the site and you should contact them in writing at:

Otley Museum


Mechanics Institute (Civic Centre)
Cross Green
Otley
LS21

or, 01943 461052 Mon. Tues and Fri. mornings 10-12:30.

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Dunno if this debate is still live, but Otley Drill Hall was over the road from the Bus station, between the bank and Argos.



Skipton: Bowman Riley Partnership (architects) occupy the old drill hall known as Wellington house on Otley Road.  

It was used as a snooker hall and has 2" thick pitch pine floor boards and glazed tile internal walls to dado level.    

Ilkley has Drill Hall industrial estate, based around the old drill hall.

Burley in Wharfedale had a minature rifle club, it's a social club now, but members used to walk through the streets carrying .22 'minature rifles' and lots of the members went to war.

[Graeme Fisher]

Dunno if this debate is still live, but Otley Drill Hall was over the road from the Bus station, between the bank and Argos.
Skipton: Bowman Riley Partnership (architects) occupy the old drill hall known as Wellington house on Otley Road.   

It was used as a snooker hall and has 2" thick pitch pine floor boards and glazed tile internal walls to dado level.   

Ilkley has Drill Hall industrial estate, based around the old drill hall.

Burley in Wharfedale had a minature rifle club, it's a social club now, but members used to walk through the streets carrying .22 'minature rifles' and lots of the members went to war.

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Oh, the debate's still live!

And you've provided some marvellous info; just the acknowledgement that the premises still exist is great.

Thanks

Graeme

[Jim Clay]

Hello Graeme,

At last!  The long-promised pictures of the drill hall at Knighton in the modern county of Powys (was Radnorshire)
 drill_hall_1.JPG   49.18K   18 downloads
 drill_hall_2.JPG   64.51K   19 downloads
I still don't know when the drill hall was built, but it was there on the 1926 Godfrey Edition OS map that I posted earlier.

A couple of interesting points:

- the 3 bays below the large windows each have 3 iron rings inserted in the brickwork, presumably horse-tethering rings.  (memo to me - check yer fax before yer post - there are 5 large windows, the 3 to the left of the main doors have the tethering rings, I didn't check the others    )

- the drill hall, still a well-used civic venue, underwent a thorough refurbishment in the last 12 months.  The "original wood-block floor" was going to be removed but wiser counsel prevailed (I am told).

I will pm you regarding sending the uncompressed pics.

All the best

Jim

Edited by Jim Clay, 11 October 2005 - 12:17 PM.

[Graeme Fisher]

Hello Graeme,

At last!  The long-promised pictures of the drill hall at Knighton in the modern county of Powys (was Radnorshire)...

Jim

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Thanks Jim

Graeme

[Stebie9173]

Graham,

Does anyone know what this one is:

 Cowgate_1901.jpg   149.34K   0 downloads


Peterborough 1900 OS Map.

Name of the road was St. Leonard's Street (left of map)

Now buried beneath Peterborough Bus Station.

(It's not the 4th EA Brigade RFA one we've previously discussed, which is just cut off the extreme right of the map) (EDIT: Now the map has been reposted it is centre-right)

Chris Harley thinks it may be the Northamptonshire Yeomanry one.

I think he may be right.

In 1914 soon after the war broke out there was an anti-german riot in Peterborough on Long Causeway and Westgate - off the map to the top right -against Messrs Franks and Metz, both butchers and a German run public house. The Mayor read the Riot Act to the mob and "called out the Yeomanry" which dispersed the crowd.

I'm thinking that he wouldn't have had to call them out very far.

One for the pot anyway,
Steve.

[Graeme Fisher]

Hah! The database comes up trumps!

Thanks for the map, Steve!

You're right, the Yeomanry were listed in St Leonard street in Kelly's 1910 Diectory of Northamptonshire; K10 ‘Northamptonshire Yeomanry (B Squadron); head quarters, St. Leonards road.’ By 1914 they are listed at Queen street.

But Kelly also offers, in 1890 and 1898,  ‘Northamptonshire Royal Engineers (1st)Volunteer (attached to 2nd Tower Hamlets); head quarters & orderly room, St. Leonard street.’

By 1903, A & B companies are no longer attached to the Tower Hamlets, but I haven't anything to suggest that this was the Tower Hamlets Royal Engineers Volunteers in Victoria-park-square, Bethnal-green.  

Shame it's gone....

Great info. Thanks

Graeme

[Stebie9173]

Graeme,

(Got the name right this time!)

Your Royal Engineers reference sparked my brain into life.

Here's an extract from the History of the Northamptonshire Battery (I posted some later extracts on the thread that discussed the Artillery Drill Hall in Queen Street)


 St_L_Drill_Hall_1.jpg   33.15K   19 downloads


Steve.


PS Posted an expanded verison of the map showing both Drill Halls (The Queen Street on is the building to the left of where the "D" in Drill is)

[Simon R]

[quote=John W,Jan 12 2004, 07:04 AM]
SOme of the record books for the West Yorkshire association still survive and are at the west yorks archieves in Leeds.

Are these worth looking at John?
Just to clarify - is this at Sheepscar or Claremont (Yorks. Arch. Soc.)?

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Graeme

I have been using the site below to research the WW2 Home Guard in my area.
If you type Home Guard Headquarters into the serach facility you will find details of a number of Drill Halls used for this purpose.

http://www.britarch.ac.uk/projects/dob/

Dave

[Charles Fair]

Wow, magnificent stuff Graeme and Dragon!  Diverse and quirky they certainly are.
Charles

[Graeme Fisher]

Brilliant as always, Gwyn!

There's a prize for the Pal who can name them all........

Graeme

[Dragon]

Thank you for your nice comments.

I have removed the composite images because they seemed peripheral and rather shallow in a serious thread.

Gwyn

Edited by Dragon, 30 December 2005 - 04:00 AM.

[Ludovica]

Lymington Drill Hall is a........
Drill Hall!
and home to the very active Army and Air Training corps

[Graeme Fisher]

Lymington Drill Hall is a........
Drill Hall!
and home to the very active Army and Air Training corps

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Good! They're not all dead, demolished and decaying, then.....

Is it in Bath Road? Can you take a picture please? I'd be very grateful.

Graeme

[harribobs]

As Ashton under Lyne Armoury (drill hall), 1886,  is being discussed  in another thread   I thought I would put its picture here.

I love the mad declaiming balcony in the upper part of the tower.

Gwyn

here is an architects drawing of the drill hall (courtesy of Robert Bonner, Volunteer Infantry of Ashton)

[Graeme Fisher]

here is an architects drawing of the drill hall (courtesy of Robert Bonner, Volunteer Infantry of Ashton)

A lovely drawing of a truly odd looking building.

Toy fort meets civic structure meets fairy towers. Mad.

Thanks for the picture, Chris.

Graeme

[Graeme Fisher]

Is there a drill hall in Alford in Lincolnshire on your database and, if there is, when was it built, where, and is it still extant?

The database throws up  ‘The Territorial Drill Hall, at South end, was erected in 1910 at a cost of £2,000.’  ‘5th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment (F Co.).’         Source of information is Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire 1913.

I don't know whether the building still stands - perhaps someone local could confirm?

Graeme