A new blue plaque will be unveiled at the Artilleryman public House in Artillery Street on June 18th at 10,45 to mark Colchester’s forgotten Napoleonic barracks. This will be unveiled by Colchester Garrison commander Lieutenant Colonel ED Rankin DL
Project lead Paul Knappett explains “Colchester is the nation’s oldest garrison city with a significant military history spanning 2,000 years. Today, Colchester remains home to 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team which includes the Parachute Regiment and 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.
It should be noted that 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery carried out the Royal Gun Salute in Lower Castle Park for The King’s Official Birthday on Saturday, June 13. Their predecessors were I Troop Royal Horse Artillery who were formed in Colchester on February 1, 1805 under Captain Robert Bull. They were affectionally known as Bull’s Troop and earned a strong reputation during the Napoleonic Wars.
By 1805, the barracks housed more than 7,000 officers and men -about half the borough’s population at the time – along with around 500 horses.
Following the Duke of Wellington’s victory at the Battle of Waterloo, eight ships carrying wounded soldiers arrived at the Hythe. Many of them were treated at a 450-bed military hospital located opposite the barracks, on the present-day site of Colchester Adult Community Centre. The hospital was later demolished, with its materials reused in building the Essex and Colchester Hospital.
The Napoleonic Barracks played a vital role at a time when Britain faced the threat of invasion. The blue plaque will ensure this important site is remembered and recognised as part of Colchester’s remarkable military heritage.