Cooper Park drill hall, Elgin

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Cooper Park drill hall
Elgin, Scotland
Public Library - geograph.org.uk - 374186.jpg
Cooper Park drill hall, now part of Elgin Library
Cooper Park drill hall is located in Moray
Cooper Park drill hall
Cooper Park drill hall
Location within Moray
Coordinates57°39′02″N 3°18′46″W / 57.65054°N 3.31274°W / 57.65054; -3.31274Coordinates: 57°39′02″N 3°18′46″W / 57.65054°N 3.31274°W / 57.65054; -3.31274
TypeDrill hall
Site history
Built1908
Built forWar Office
In use1908 – c.2006

The Cooper Park drill hall is a former military installation in Elgin, Scotland.

History[]

The building was designed as the headquarters of the 6th (Morayshire) Battalion, the Seaforth Highlanders and was completed in 1908.[1][2] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Western Front.[3]

After the Second World War, the battalion amalgamated with 5th (Caithness and Sutherland) Battalion and 7th (Morayshire) Battalion to form 11th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's), with B Company of the 11th Battalion based at the Cooper Park drill hall.[4] The 11th Battalion then amalgamated with the 4th/5th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders to form the home defence battalion of the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) in 1967.[4]

The home defence battalion of the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) was in turn absorbed into the 51st Highland Volunteers in 1969 with a rifle platoon of C (Queen's Own Highlanders) Company, 2nd Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers still based at Cooper Park.[5] The 51st Highland Volunteers split into two battalions in 1971 with the headquarters of the 2nd Battalion located at Cooper Park.[5] The 2nd Battalion was re-designated the 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) with headquarters still at Cooper Park in 1995.[5] Following the Strategic Defence Review in 1998, the presence at Cooper Park was reduced to a single rifle platoon of B (Highlanders) Company, the 51st Highlanders Regiment.[5] The building was subsequently decommissioned and now forms part of Elgin Library.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Elgin, Cooper Park, Drill Hall". Canmore. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  2. ^ "6th (Morayshire) Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 24 June 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ "Seaforth Highlanders". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b "11th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 3 January 2006. Retrieved 24 June 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ a b c d "Highland Volunteers". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
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