Mod Donnington Pool & Garrison Saddle Club - Dec 21

[BikinGlynn]

MOD Donnington

Throwing this one out there as I know a lot of "urbex teams" have been rushing that way recently.
By 1980 COD Donnington (along with COD Bicester) was one of just two remaining Central Ordnance Depots overseen by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps; nevertheless, in the 1970s and 80s, it grew to be one of the largest military store complexes in Europe. It remains in use as a storage depot, although the complex was scaled back following two serious fires (in 1983 and 1988)
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.

In September 2016, it was announced Parsons and Venning Barracks sites were among 13 sites named by the Ministry of Defence for future disposal. In November 2016 the Ministry of Defence announced that the Parsons and Venning Barracks sites would close, with an "Estimated Date of Disposal" in 2020. This was later extended to 2022, and once more to 2029.
Obviously the pool here has been abandoned for some time & while it is a ramshackle affair its really quite photogenic.

This I though was really cool, the use of nissen huts for changing & showers!

Moving on just a stones throw from the pool is this place that I cant find a damn thing about, but its the former base of Donnington garrison saddle club.
It compromises of stable blocks, offices open air eventing ground & indoor manege area.

[

Thats all from here, thanks for looking.

 

[HistoryBuff]

Great photos. Nice explore, thanks for posting.

 

[Hayman]

Thanks for the shots of the stables of the Donnington Garrison Saddle Club. They reminded me of the Aden Services Saddle Club - where I spent a lot of my spare time when in Aden 1962-1964. The use of the abbreviation "COD" reminded me of when I was on a Clerk MC (Movement Control) course, and I was making out despatch notes for ficticious loads to go to various CODs around the UK.

 

[smartengineer]

Thanks for the shots of the stables of the Donnington Garrison Saddle Club. They reminded me of the Aden Services Saddle Club - where I spent a lot of my spare time when in Aden 1962-1964. The use of the abbreviation "COD" reminded me of when I was on a Clerk MC (Movement Control) course, and I was making out despatch notes for ficticious loads to go to various CODs around the UK.

Why the ficticious despatch notes?

 

[Hayman]

Why the ficticious despatch notes?

Having not succeeded in becoming a blockman (Royal Engineer parlance for a railway signalman) on the Longmoor Military Railway, I needed another Sapper trade. Since the School of Movements was also at Longmoor, putting me on a Movement Control clerks course was the easy way out. Shuffling paper was less dangerous than signalling trains. As part of the course, we practised sending equipment, stores, etc from one place to another. We filled in such details on despatch notes, using real stores depot names to make the paperwork look as authentic as possible. The despatch notes (probably AF - Army Form - B followed by numbers) and the destinations were real; the loads and their weights, etc were the made-up part.

 

[BobClay]

I worked at MOD Donnington for a year in 1987, although this place I never knew about (I lived and commuted to work from Stafford so didn't really know much about the Donnington area.) What I do remember is being taken to see a Russian artillery piece that was there for some reason from which the metal for making Victoria Crosses is extracted.

 

[Hayman]

I worked at MOD Donnington for a year in 1987, although this place I never knew about (I lived and commuted to work from Stafford so didn't really know much about the Donnington area.) What I do remember is being taken to see a Russian artillery piece that was there for some reason from which the metal for making Victoria Crosses is extracted.

There is online an article from The Guardian dated 03 Apr 2020 about the metal for Victoria Crosses. It includes this paragraph:" The current source of Victoria Cross metal is thought to be a cascabel – the round protrusion at the back of a cannon – stored at a Ministry of Defence depot in Donnington, Shropshire. Published in Post-Medieval Archaeology, the research found historical evidence that this cascabel may have been taken from a gun captured during the second Anglo-Chinese war of 1860, three years after the first Victoria Cross awards were made". That still leaves the three years between the making of the first VCs and the Anglo-Chinese war of 1860. The article says the Russian connection came from "newspaper speculation" that the metal came from guns captured after the battle of Sevastapol. Modern ways of examining the metal of Victoria Crosses since the award's inception show that, whilst still bronze, the type of bronze has not stayed the same. A recent Look at Life short on Talking Pictures TV was about the VC. It showed a drawer in which were large chunks of metal from which the medals are still made. The Guardian article says, "Hancock's Jewellers in London has been the sole producer of the medal since its inception".

 

[BikinGlynn]

I worked at MOD Donnington for a year in 1987, although this place I never knew about (I lived and commuted to work from Stafford so didn't really know much about the Donnington area.) What I do remember is being taken to see a Russian artillery piece that was there for some reason from which the metal for making Victoria Crosses is extracted.

thats really inteersting.

 

[King Al]

Great pics Glynn! I do like an abandoned pool Interesting extra insight Bob & Hayman

 

[Richard Davies]

There is online an article from The Guardian dated 03 Apr 2020 about the metal for Victoria Crosses. It includes this paragraph:" The current source of Victoria Cross metal is thought to be a cascabel – the round protrusion at the back of a cannon – stored at a Ministry of Defence depot in Donnington, Shropshire. Published in Post-Medieval Archaeology, the research found historical evidence that this cascabel may have been taken from a gun captured during the second Anglo-Chinese war of 1860, three years after the first Victoria Cross awards were made". That still leaves the three years between the making of the first VCs and the Anglo-Chinese war of 1860. The article says the Russian connection came from "newspaper speculation" that the metal came from guns captured after the battle of Sevastapol. Modern ways of examining the metal of Victoria Crosses since the award's inception show that, whilst still bronze, the type of bronze has not stayed the same. A recent Look at Life short on Talking Pictures TV was about the VC. It showed a drawer in which were large chunks of metal from which the medals are still made. The Guardian article says, "Hancock's Jewellers in London has been the sole producer of the medal since its inception".

I remember reading somewhere that the cannon was made in China, and captured by the Russians during a conflict between them & the Chinese before the Crimean war.

 

[Hayman]

I remember reading somewhere that the cannon was made in China, and captured by the Russians during a conflict between them & the Chinese before the Crimean war.

Those damned Chinese were 'exporting' goods to the West even in those days!

 

[BobClay]

As I remember it I was told it was Russian, possibly from the Crimean War. But ... without doubt working artillery would have been a prize capture back then, and may well have been used by different armies.

 

[Hayman]

As I remember it I was told it was Russian, possibly from the Crimean War. But ... without doubt working artillery would have been a prize capture back then, and may well have been used by different armies.

How standardised were the bores of firearms of any calibre in those days? Whether using bullets, shells or simply cannon balls. If an enemy's cannon was captured, it was of no use without something to fire from it. I've read of some armament manufacturers selling weapons to both sides in foreign wars.

 

[Richard Davies]

How standardised were the bores of firearms of any calibre in those days? Whether using bullets, shells or simply cannon balls. If an enemy's cannon was captured, it was of no use without something to fire from it. I've read of some armament manufacturers selling weapons to both sides in foreign wars.

I heard this was true about one war between Belgium & The Netherlands, where British made cannons were sold to both sides.

 

[mattbis]

Cant believe how good condition that is all in ... is this the same country ?

 

[BikinGlynn]

Cant believe how good condition that is all in ... is this the same country ?

Same country as what? the title tells you where it is!