MoD Donnington

MoD Donnington
Donnington, Telford
Entrance to Venning Barracks
MoD Donnington
Coordinates	52°43′19″N 2°26′39″W / 52.72182°N 2.44415°W
Type	Logistics base
Site information
Open to the public	No
Site history
Built	1936
In use	1936–Present
Garrison information
Occupants	11th Signal Brigade and Headquarters West Midlands

MoD Donnington is a British military base situated to the north of Donnington, Telford, Shropshire.

History

The site was chosen in 1936 as a replacement for London’s Woolwich Arsenal and designed to provide employment in what was then a depressed area, following the closure of the Lilleshall Company’s New Yard engineering works in St Georges several years earlier. At the turn of the millennium further investment took place as Parsons Barracks (named after Major-General Sir Harold Parsons) and Venning Barracks (named after General Sir Walter Venning) were developed.^[1]

In March 2014 there was reason for local optimism that MoD Donnington would once more be radically expanded with another 500 to 700 jobs being added to the 1,000 jobs that MoD Donnington currently requires.^[2] The expansion plans were approved early that month.^[3]

In November 2014 Venning Barracks became headquarters of the newly-formed 11th Signal Brigade and Headquarters West Midlands, formed by the amalgamation of 11th Signal Brigade who were already based here since 1992, and the hitherto Shrewsbury-headquartered 143rd (West Midlands) Regional Brigade.^[4]

See also

• MoD Bicester

References

1. "Leisure Time" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
2. "MoD Donnington base expansion plans unveiled". BBC. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
3. "MoD Donnington base expansion plans approved". BBC. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
4. "Flag is flying for new Army brigade". Shropshire Star. November 17, 2014. p. 1.Report by Andrew Owen.