Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

ALDERSHOT

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 535 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

ALDERSHOT , an See also:

urban See also:district in the See also:Basingstoke See also:parliamentary See also:division of See also:Hampshire, See also:England, 34 M. S.W. by W. of See also:London, on the London & See also:South-Western and the South-Eastern & See also:Chatham See also:railways. It was a See also:mere See also:village till 1855, when Aldershot See also:camp was established. Pop. (1891) 25,595; (1901) 30,974. Its germ is to be found in the temporary camp on Chobham Ridges, formed in 1853 by See also:Lord See also:Hardinge, the See also:commander-in-See also:chief, the success of which convinced him of the See also:necessity of giving troops See also:practical instruction in the See also:field and affording the generals opportunities of manoeuvring large bodies of the three arms. He therefore advised the See also:purchase of a See also:tract of See also:waste See also:land whereon a permanent camp might be established. His choice See also:fell on Aldershot, a spot also recommended by strategic reasons, being situated on the flank of any See also:army advancing upon London from the south. Nothing came of Lord Hardinge's proposal till the experience of the See also:Crimean See also:campaign fully endorsed his See also:opinion. The lands at Aldershot, an extensive open See also:heath See also:country, sparsely dotted by See also:fir-See also:woods and intersectedby the Basingstoke See also:canal, were then acquired ,by the . See also:crown. Wooden huts were erected in 1855, and permanent buildings to replace them were begun in 1881. Under the See also:Barracks See also:Act 18go, and the Military See also:Works Act of 1897 and 1899, large sums were provided for completing the See also:work.

The former division of See also:

North and South camps and, permanent barracks no longer obtains. North camp is now named See also:Marlborough Lines, with a field See also:artillery barrack and five See also:infantry barracks called after Marlborough's victories. South camp is now named See also:Stanhope Lines, after Mr Stanhope, who was secretary of See also:state for, See also:war when the Barracks Act 18go was passed and thergconst{uction commenced in See also:earnest. They contain barracks for *Royal Royal See also:Engineers and Army Service See also:Corps, the See also:general See also:parade, which stretches See also:east and See also:west, and five infantry barracks called after battles (other than those of See also:Wellington), of the See also:wars with See also:France, 1793-1815. There are also barracks for the Royal Army J,lfedical Corps; The old permanent barracks (which were built for the most See also:part about 1857) have been renamed Wellington Lines, with See also:cavalry ' and artillery barracks; and three infantry barracks called after Wellington's victories in the See also:Peninsula. For the sick there are the See also:Connaught See also:Hospital in the Marlborough Lines, the See also:Cambridge Hospital in Stanhope Lines, and the See also:Union Hospital in Wellington Lines, , besides the See also:Louise See also:Margaret Hospital for See also:women and See also:children. and the isolated infection hospital. . The drainage, of the station is all See also:modern, and thesewage,is disposed of on a sewage See also:farm under the direction• of the war See also:department. The See also:water See also:supply is partly from the Aldershot Water See also:Company, and partly from springs and reservoirs See also:collecting water from a reserved See also:area of war department See also:property. Most of the barracks can accommodate not only the unfits they are constructed for, but also detachments going through courses of instruction. The See also:total of• men, women and children for, whom quarters are provided is at times as high as 24,000. Besides the regimental,buildings there are a large number of buildings for See also:garrison purposes, such as quarters and offices for general, See also:staff and departmental See also:officers, with -the See also:warrant and non-commissioned officers ,employed under them; the supply See also:depot with See also:abattoir and bakery; the See also:ordnance stores; barrack stores for See also:furniture and bedding, shops and stores for R. R. services; the See also:balloon See also:establishment; the detention barracks; See also:fire See also:brigade stations; five churches; recreation grpunds fqr officers and men; See also:schools; and especially the military technical schools of army cooking, gymnastics, signalling, ballooning and of mounted infantry, Army Service Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps and veterinary duties.

The- work of these schools is, however, only a small past- of the military' training afforded at Aldershot; of greater importance is the field and musketry training, for the carrying out of which a considerable extent of land is essential. The land required for these purposes extends at See also:

present over an area about 94 M. in extreme length by 71 M. in extreme width. In addition to this there is the land at See also:Sandhurst and the Staff See also:College; (Camberley) about 6js ,m, distant, and at Woolmer See also:Forest, 12 M. distant. The musketry practice of the troops at Aldershot is carried out at the Ash ranges, 2 M. east of the ; barracks, while the Pirbright ranges; alongside those of the See also:National See also:Rifle Association at See also:Bisley, are utilized by the See also:Household Cavalry and See also:Guards, who are en-camped there in See also:succession. Suitable grounds in the vicinity of the barracks, of which See also:Caesar's Camp, the See also:Long Valley and Laffan's See also:Plain are best known, are utilized for company, See also:battalion and brigade training of infantry, while the mounted branches work over a wider area, and the engineers carry out their practices where most. convenient. For the field-days of the combined arms, the whole of the war department property is available. Aldershot is the headquarters of the "Aldershot Army Corps," which is the largest organized force maintained in the See also:United See also:Kingdom. Besides the troops in barracks, during the See also:drill See also:season there is often; a considerable force in camp, both See also:regular troops from other stations, and See also:militia and volunteer See also:units, so that, including the regular garrison, sometimes as many. as 40,000 troo'p's "have been concentrated at the station for training and manoeuvres.

End of Article: ALDERSHOT

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
ALDERNEY (Fr. Aurigny) 		[next]
ALDHELM (c. 640-709)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries