School of Transport, Longmoor

Early days in Longmoor to complete my Clerical course. still had steam trains, I think one was the Bullet, I returned to Longmoor in 72/73 to finish off my service, trains had gone, when I eventually left in 75 one of my first jobs whilst waiting to go to College was driving for a demolition company, one of my first places was Longmoor, taking down the old Loco sheds, so glad the camp remains and was surprised to hear on TV that amongst other things it is now used for practise of Troopig the Colour. I shall have to make a visit, try and get some photo's before it disappears forever

Les

Used to live at Longmoor for a while when posted at nearby Borden, the REME used parts pf the training area for vehicle recovery training.

The Married Quarters area is used for FIBUA training, and the camp itself as a TA/Cadet training camp, as is the training area behind it, and yes the square has been used by the Guards for rehearsals as well. The camp is fenced as I recall, and you may not be able just to walk around.

Link to MoD Film Locations Site

Hi Mike
Yes I do realise I may not be able to just walk around, I would of course try and get the correct permission, whilst finishing my time there in 75 I actually approached the Lands people and tried to buy the old signal box, now right on the A3, I was told at that time it would not be possible because of the proximity to the camp, brought about by the NI problem, it was very sad when it started closing, you mention the old quarters, I saw them go from good to training shells, locals stripped all the good bits out, wire, taps pipes etc, great shame, we used to call the ones behind the old NAAFI shop "Coronation Street" as they looked just the same

Les

I believe the signal frame from the Longmoor box ended up at the 'Museum of Army Transport' at Beverly, but what happened when that closed I have no idea?

Let us know how you get on

Yes will do, when I first went to the Camp in 66 it was great, all open, no fences, when I returned in 72 there were more civilians than soldiers and of course the fencing had gone up, when I was first there we used to close the road and put in road blocks something to do with letting people know it was owned by the military, that must have changed as I cant see them putting blocks across the A3

Les

Cannot remember the road I lived on, but I had to walk to the main gate and back along the main road to catch a bus to borden, and on more than one occation missed it, and to make it worse, being level with the bus stop as it pulled out early.

I moved into a masonet in Borden not long after and to be in a house with centrol heating after the ice box that you could never keep warm in the winter at Longmoor was great.

9 Fld Workshop was in one of the old RAOC Store Sheds (many were used by SEME as classrooms) with railway loading platforms which made life interesting when driving our binners in & out!

Well walking away from the Camp entrance you could either turn right and go down to Gracies Corner, that was by the little paper shop, or you could go straight down to Greatham and catch the bus at the bottom near the pub, think it was the Queen

Les

There was a bus stop on the Liss Road in 1974ish, turning left out of the main gate.

That would probably have been near the crossroads, 321 Eng Pk was across the road

Les

I see that the old signal training block is now boarded up. Perhaps the building is now unsafe. It was by the now much widened A3 next to the old railway yard (now an assault course). I think that this once housed a very extensive (and expensive) Bassett Lowke model railway used for training purposes. I believe that this made its way to BAOR on the closure of the LMR but has long since gone missing.

RMP Close Protection Training Wing still do their stuff at Longmoor and are housed in Kitchener House which used to be an officers' mess.

I see that The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery was on the box a month or so back. The railway shots were filmed on the LMR and at Liss BR station about three years before the closure of the LMR.

We used to call it the old Signal Box, I did try and buy it, wanted to convert to a house, turned down, it was attached to military land, and with the NI problem would leave the camp open mind you looking at it now I would have been too close to A3

I don't know if it would have been a very sound investment even if it was not within the boundaries of the camp. We used the building about 20 years ago during a tactical exercise and it was in a pretty ropey state even then. The wooden floors had definitely had it. I suspect that the building might now be condemned.

We were told that we were not allowed to use the WC in the building because we were supposed to be tactical; an order that was very happily and regularly disobeyed.

I passed through Longmoor in early 1973 at the end of our basic and trade training.

I seem to recall it being pretty big and we were picking up some stuff.

I also seem to recollect a small railway engine being there.

Is my memory wrong with the railway engine ?

I believe that one or more of the smaller locos were retained on the site as static displays for some time after the closure of the LMR but have since found new homes elsewhere.

There is a short section of track complete with some items of rolling stock that was laid within the old married quarters area for FIBUA training purposes. I think that there was a similar arrangement at the Ruhleben training area in Berlin.

Did my Troop Sgt's course at Longmoor 1970

I do agree Claymore it was in a bit of a state when I left there in 75 but would not have taken much to rip the inside out and turn it into a nice home (quite a large footprint) and with a conservatory and other extensions could have been fantastic