# First Soldiers arrive at Rock Barracks



## Matzos (Jul 21, 2006)

The first soldiers from 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) took up residence at Woodbridge Airfield, their new Suffolk barracks, in the week commencing 10 July 2006. More are to follow in the week commencing 17 July 2006.

Rock Barracks is the flagship barracks of the Army's Single Living Accommodation Modernisation (SLAM) project, and was completed on time and on budget at a cost of around £80 million. It will provide single en-suite accommodation for all the Regiment's 600 personnel when the barracks is fully manned by the end of July 2006.






_The Corporal's Common Room_

Rock Barracks, named after the Royal Engineer founder of Airborne Forces, Major John Rock RE, was built on a former United States Air Force Base and incorporates the latest in accommodation design.

The Barracks are well facilitated for sport and include three full sized sports pitches, an all weather floodlit Astroturf pitch, a climbing wall, assault course, 30m rifle range and a gym containing squash courts, weights and cardio vascular suites.

Until now 23 Engineer Regiment, which has four squadrons, has been split across four ageing sites: 9 Parachute Squadron RE were in Aldershot, 51 Parachute Squadron RE were in Ripon, North Yorkshire, 12 (Nova Scotia) Headquarters Squadron (Air Assault) were in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, and 61 Field Support Squadron (Air Assault) were in Maidstone, Kent.

The Barracks are well facilitated for sport and include three full sized sports pitches, an all weather floodlit Astroturf pitch, a climbing wall, assault course, 30m rifle range and a gym containing squash courts, weights and cardio vascular suites.

Currently there are around 160 soldiers from 23 Engineer Regiment serving with 16 Air Assault Brigade in Afghanistan who will return later in 2006 to take up residence at their new home.


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## John A Silkstone (Jul 21, 2006)

What! no golf course?

Silky


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## Matzos (Jul 22, 2006)

I lay you odds that there is one, an ex-USAAF air base, they always have one. solaf


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## Drone_pilot (Jul 23, 2006)

How the hell, can they think that our guy's, can live like this.blah,


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## Bombardier (Jul 23, 2006)

It must be terrible for them box;


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## John A Silkstone (Jul 23, 2006)

Looking at the picture again I noticed that there is still a lot of the room not on view.
In the right hand bottom you can just see the bed and that is nearly a metre wide and two metres long. 

There’s obviously not enough locker space as the poor man has to store his kit under the table.

As for the fridge, I can remember my first fridge; it was a large expanse of white outside the two man bivvy (tent) when I was up in the Artic circle, and as for central heat that was supplied by the heat of the other man’s body who was sharing your bivvy.

And looking at the anti deodorants on the shelf reminds me of a time we were out on exercise and we had to find the enemy’s location. We went out scouting at 05.00 hours and after about an hour I said, “they’re camped about half a mile that way. One of the young soldiers said, “How do you know that Sergeant?” “Because I can smell the bloody aftershave lotion and perfumed toilet soap”. 

Just an observation and a few old thoughts.

Silky


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## George Regler (Apr 14, 2010)

I used to work as an ATC supervisor at RAF Woodbridge UK and loved it there. I cannot wait to return and hopefully visit sometime. I was in the USAF for 24 years and the English friends I had there were the best. Thanks for making all of us feel like we were home. 

 George E. Regler, MSgt, USAF (ret)


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