Farewell to the Garrison Festival Heading

After a year of planning from Whitehill Town Council in conjunction with Bordon Garrison, the Farewell to the Garrison Festival took place on Saturday 27 June 2015.

The day was a fantastic success, attracting thousands of local residents as well as people from all over the country who travelled to Whitehill & Bordon to mark the landmark event and give Bordon Garrison a fitting send-off.

Whitehill & Bordon’s Military History

Troops first occupied Quebec Barracks in Bordon in 1903. The numbers of soldiers gradually increased as more barracks were built and during the two World Wars many hundreds of troops passed through as expeditionary forces and reached a high point in 1944, when Bordon played its part in the preparations for the D Day landings.

The first REME soldiers arrived in 1945 and the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (SEME) was created in 1961. In 2012 a Defence Technical Training Review was ratified and it was finally decided by RH Dr Liam Fox, Minister for Defence that Technical Training across all three Services would relocate to Lyneham, Wiltshire. The first phase of this relocation will start with REME in both Bordon and Arborfield. After a history of over 100 years in Bordon the army is scheduled to move out in 2015.

On the 1st November 2012 the Defence College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering ceased to exist and de facto, so did SEME in Bordon. The School was renamed the Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering Bordon (DSEME (Bor)).

History kindly provided by Drs Chris & Bill Wain of Woolmer Forest Heritage Society. To find out more about the history and archaeology of Bordon, Whitehill and the surrounding area, visit Woolmer Forest Heritage Society’s website at http://woolmerforest.org.uk/.

Programme of the day

Programme of Events for the Farewell to the Garrison Festival
Programme of Events for the Farewell to the Garrison Festival
Community Village

Community Village

Action for Children Bordon Air Cadets Artscape Alzheimer's Society 1st Bordon Scouts Group Bordon & Headley District Guiding Bordon Infant &...

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Military & Historical Showcases

Military & Historical Showcases

Bordon Reflections - an immersive interactive exhibition created from community projects exploring the past, present and future of Bordon and celebrating the...

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Farewell to the Garrison Festival

Farewell to the Garrison Festival

From Noon there was a joint military/civilian ‘Farewell Festival’ on Budds Lane Sports Fields which included arena events, military displays,...

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Freedom of the Town & Flag Raising Ceremony

Freedom of the Town & Flag Raising Ceremony

In the morning at the Town War Memorial, the Mayor of Whitehill Town Council, Cllr Sally Pond, bestowed the ‘Freedom...

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Supporting Organisations

We would like to say a big thank you to all of the individuals and organisations that supported this event.

Farewell to the Garrison was funded by…

Bordon Garrison, MOD Community Covenant, East Hampshire District Council, Hampshire County Council, REME Corps Fund and Whitehill Town Council.