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![]() The White House in about 1950 |
A series of Nissen huts were built for staff of other ranks. Prisoners were housed in a compound comprising low, flat-roofed brick and concrete cells with four interconnecting corridors. After conversion, Wilton Park was occupied in July 1942 and in the middle of 1943 the first high ranking prisoners began to arrive at Wilton Park. These included Marshall Messe, Field-Marshalls von Rundstedt and Busch and Rudolph Hess. |
The CSDIC closed at the end of 1945 with most POW's being repatriated or moved to other camps. Wilton Park was then taken over by the Foreign Office becoming a centre for the de-Nazification of German POW's. In 1949/50 the estate became the home of the Army School of Administration with the Army School of Education moving on to the site in April 1950. Shortly afterwards the Foreign Office moved to a new location, taking the name Wilton Park, to Steyning in Sussex. During the 1960's three language wings were established at the school with Libya's Colonel Geddaffi studying there in the late 1960's.
The three language wings merged to form the Army School of Language in 1970 which in turn became the tri-service Defence School of Languages in January 1985. The DSL is a joint-service military establishment with both military and civilian staff. Its main role is to provide foreign language training to the British armed forces and English language training to military personnel from overseas. . |
![]() One of the language laboratories |
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It also has over 30 years' experience of teaching languages to civilians, mainly in government service. The compound in which the cells had been housed was demolished in the mid 1960's and the White House was demolished in 1968 to make way for a 15 storey accommodation block, the tallest building in Buckinghamshire. This too is now empty and is only used for occasional training exercises. All WW2 buildings on the site have now been demolished |
EASTERN COMMAND WAR HEADQUARTERS &
AFHQ 5
In 1950 the United Kingdom Commanders-in-Chief Committee was established
at the head of the British military administration. The overall aim
of UKCICC was to "defend the United Kingdom so that it can remain
a main offensive base for as long as possible and an advanced air base
in all circumstances" A protected base for the UKCICC Joint Operational
Headquarters was sought. Three sites were examined, Wilton Park, Stanmore
which already has a bunker from WW2 and Fort Southwick, Portsmouth,
the HQ of the Commander of Naval Home Forces. Eventually Stanmore was
picked as the site for the UKCICC HQ.
With the ever increasing threat of a nuclear strike from the Soviet
Union there was a proposal in 1951 to provide protected accommodation
for the five army commands. In addition protected accommodation on a
smaller scale was to be built at the Army District and Sub-District
HQ's.
After WW2 the five army commands were located in non protected accommodation:
Despite these proposals only one bunker was built; priority was given
to Eastern Command which covered London, Aldershot and South East Districts.
In 1954 a single storey surface blockhouse was built at Wilton Park
as the War Headquarters for Eastern Command which was relocated there
from Hounslow Barracks which was within the London target area. The
bunker also accommodated the London District War HQ and Communication
Centre
Protected accommodation was also proposed for the other Districts
in Eastern Command but the proposed joint civil/military HQ scheme to
build protected Regional Seats of Government put paid to this idea by
1957. Wilton Park was retained as the London District Headquarters but
the
military commanders were relocated to the RSG's.
Click here
for more information and pictures of
Eastern Command War HQ/AFHQ 5
© 2005 Subterranea Britannica