# DLO Caversfield Decontamination Bunker/Labs Dec '11



## mookster (Jan 11, 2012)

This was a purely opportunist explore done in a small window of opportunity over the christmas period whilst the builders, contractors and security who usually monitor the CCTV on site were away for the holidays, and the live parts were closed...

DLO Caversfield was formed from the communal side of RAF Bicester situated across the road from the airfield side when the base closed for good.



> The Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO), a key element of the UK Ministry of Defence, is responsible for supporting the Armed Forces throughout the various stages of an operation or exercise; from training, deployment, in-theatre training and conduct of operations, through to recovery and recuperation ready for redeployment.
> 
> Led by the Chief of Defence Logistics, currently a 4 Star Army General, the DLO maintains and upgrades military equipment and coordinates its storage and distribution. It has an annual spend of almost £9bn, representing over 20 per cent of the Defence budget. The DLO employs around 20,000 staff at 80 locations throughout the UK and overseas, and has its headquarters in Bath, England



The DLO site at Caversfield in Bicester was responsible for all the clothing the armed forces were issued with throughout the world, it developed and tested new textiles and existing clothing for use on the frontline including flak jackets, various socks and other things.

Unfortunately almost all resemblance to an RAF site was lost after the DLO bought it, as the entire site was refitted to their specifications. And unfortunatley post-closure, like with many MoD sites, absolutely everything that was and wasn't nailed down was removed after closure. Add to this the currently ongoing conversion into apartments and the building of new houses and there isn't a great deal of stuff left 'in situ'.

It's a shame the conversion started immediately after closure, as almost all of the buildings we tried were locked tight but a couple - the old decontamination bunker and a large laboratory building were both accessible. The entire site still has power, so while we turned the lights on in the bunker we didn't risk the lights in the labs as they are right by the main road and a terrace of houses.

Various buildings on site, all inaccessible (and totally stripped bare)













This building is pretty much an exact copy of the Chow Hall building at RAF Upper Heyford:









The bunker, it was probably converted into something else for the DLO hence the lack of original features.

































The labs building, it probably had the most left in it! We only had the hum of the electricity for company though...it was intriguing seeing where builders had marked out holes to be punched in walls for doors, and lines on the floor presumably for new walls.

















































One last shot as the sun was setting...


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## night crawler (Jan 11, 2012)

Must be thousands of pound woth of fume cuboards there which are going to be trashed and do I see and original firepace still in siture. Nice little report that.


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## mookster (Jan 11, 2012)

night crawler said:


> Must be thousands of pound woth of fume cuboards there which are going to be trashed and do I see and original firepace still in siture. Nice little report that.



Yeah they're all gonna be chucked in a skip if they haven't already, all in perfect working order! The whole building was pretty much ready to convert so I think we saw it just in time over Christmas.


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## TeeJF (Jan 11, 2012)

Bl**dy hell man, you get where WD40 can't!!!


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