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A great many towns and cities
across the United Kingdom have a proud military history. Pembroke Dock,
although only a small town is one such town – its garrison grew to become
the seventh largest in the United Kingdom.
The garrison's foundation was laid
when a Royal Dockyard was established in 1814. Two companies of Royal
Marine Light Infantry, one from Chatham the other from Portsmouth, arrived
on orders of the Naval Department to guard it.
The first Line regiment, the 14th
Foot, did not arrive until the 1840s, quickly followed by others who not
only assisted in guarding the dockyard but also in furthering their foot
drill and musketry skills, At first they were all billeted under canvas on
St. Patrick's Hill, which overlooked the dockyard. By December 1845
Treowen Barracks, which could house 400 men, was completed.
As troop concentration increased,
so the need for more permanent camps became paramount. The first of these
was constructed to the east of town, and this area is still known today as
Bush Camp. By the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854 this camp had
become more permanent with the construction of sufficient wooden huts to
house 1000 men or one battalion, but even this proved inadequate. A further
camp was therefore ordered. Built in 1855, this was also constructed
of wood and was sited at the base of Llanion Hill, which stands just north
of the town above Hobbs Point, again it was of and sufficient in size to
house 1000 men. The engineer appointed to this task was Colonel Crawley of
the Royal Engineers, whose own men lived under canvas at East Pennar Point,
which stands to the south west of town.
Pembroke Dock was now walled in on
three sides by military camps, while the Cleddau River formed the fourth and
strongest wall with many forts and blockhouses spread along its banks to the
sea some seven miles away, all this combined to create an almost impregnable
fortress.
The garrison continued to expand
as troops arrived from the length and breadth of the Kingdom, at such a pace
that eventually the camps were overflowing. This resulted in disease
breaking out among the troops, due to the squalid conditions. The conditions
became so intolerable that the sick were transported to Freshwater East
where they lived under canvas for a week or two, so enabling them to breathe
fresh air once more.
By the turn of the century the
Royal Engineers' Barracks at East Pennar Point was constructed of brick. At
the same time plans were drawn to construct an even larger barracks to take
the place of the ageing wooden camps at Bush and Llanion. These barracks
were to be of red brick. It is said their design was taken from those built
in India - whether this is fact or fiction is of little consequence. It
opened in 1904 and the buildings, which dominated the highest hill in town,
certainly stood out as the most modern of their time.
Between 1947 and 1960 the military was reduced
in size. This led to Bush Camp being dismantled, while the Royal Engineers'
Barracks at East Pennar Point was abandoned. Today all that remains of
our glorious past is Treowen Barracks, now renamed
The Defensible Barracks on St. Patrick's Hill, where it is virtually
surrounded by new buildings and a golf course - the trappings of a modern
town. On the north side, Llanion Hill is still dominated by the
remains of Llanion Barracks, but the barrack blocks and Guard Room have now
been converted to flats while the N.A.A.F.I. now houses the Department of
Social Security.
Pembroke Dock will never forget its past, as today many of its streets bear
the names of the regiments and the founding fathers, which during the short
history of the town made it what it is today. |
