Caregan Barracks

Caregan Barracks, or Caregan training camp, was an army barracks close to Cowbridge. It was home to the Southern Welsh Regiment.

History
The barracks was property of the Ministry of Defence. In the mid 2000s, the base commander was Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Yorke.

Sergeant Anthony Bee and Sergeant Sandra Applegate were stationed at Caregan Barracks. Sergeant Bee stole a Land Rover Wolf from the base and drove it at the exit barrier, where he was confronted by Privates Kandahal and Foxton. He shot Kandahal and was himself shot by Foxton.

Daily timetable
Recruits would start there day with reveille at 6am. The timetable would include drill practice, map reading, first aid and rifle handling, followed by a six mile run and a drill test known as "passing off the square".

Layout
The barracks was surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. Signs placed at intervals along the fence notified "unauthorised persons" of the Official Secrets Act, describing the risk of arrest and prosecution. The red-and-white-striped entrance barrier was guarded by sentries.

Within the confines of the barracks, there was a visitors' parking area and an assault course complete with nets and walls.

The army buildings were squat and low, with shallow-sloping roofs. Few had more than one storey, white stucco walls with aluminium-framed windows punched into them at regular intervals. The building belonging to the base commander, Daniel Yorke, had a second storey clad in stained dark timber.

Daniel Yorke's office was sparsely decorated. It had a large, uncluttered desk, with two chairs on the side closest to the door and a further chair on the opposite side. A window looked out over the grounds towards the assault course. (PROSE: Another Life)