MOD Stafford

Ministry of Defence Stafford otherwise known as MOD Stafford, Stafford Station or Beacon Barracks is a Ministry of Defence site in Stafford, in England. It was formerly Royal Air Force Stafford or more simply RAF Stafford, a non-flying Royal Air Force station.

MOD Stafford Beacon Barracks
Stafford, Staffordshire in England
Beacon Barracks' gate guardian is a Hawker Siddeley Harrier
MOD Stafford Location within Staffordshire
Coordinates	52.824°N 2.099322°W / 52.824; -2.099322
Type	Military barracks and support establishment
Area	165 hectares[1]
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	British Army
Site history
Built	1938 (1938)
In use	2006–present

History

The station was originally established as the home of No. 16 Maintenance Unit in the 1930s.^[2] It became home to No 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron in 1958.^[3] The RAF Tactical Supply Wing was also formed at RAF Stafford in 1970 and operates still from MOD Stafford. An RAF Mountain Rescue Team was based at RAF Stafford.^[4]

RAF Closure

In April 2004 it was announced that units from RAF Stafford would be moved to RAF Wittering, effectively closing the station. RAF Stafford officially ceased to be an RAF station on 31 March 2006 to become Beacon Barracks.^[5] However, as of August 2024, the RAF's "gate guardian" aircraft, a Harrier GR3 (pictured), remains in place.^[6]

Beacon Barracks was renamed from RAF Stafford in 2006, after the Royal Air Force moved out.^[7] In 2013, the British Government announced the redevelopment of the barracks, to allow 16 Signal Regiment to move there, in 2015.^[8]

Based units

The following notable units are based at MOD Stafford.^[9][10]

British Army

Royal Corps of Signals

• 1st Signal Brigade
  • 16th Signal Regiment
    • 230 (Malaya) Signal Squadron
    • 247 (Gurkha) Signal Squadron
    • Support Squadron
  • 22nd Signal Regiment
    • 222 Signal Squadron
    • 242 (Gurkha) Signal Squadron
    • 248 (Gurkha) Signal Squadron
    • Support Squadron
  • 37th Signal Regiment
    • 48 Signal Squadron
      • 898 Troop
• Staffordshire & West Midlands (North Staffordshire) Army Cadet Force
  • C Company, Staffordshire & West Midlands (North Staffordshire) ACF
    • Corps of Drums Detachment (Grenadier Guards)
    • Stafford Detachment (Royal Signals)

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S)

• DE&S Deca Stafford^[11]

Royal Air Force

Joint Aviation Command

• Tactical Supply Wing RAF

No. 22 Group (Training) RAF

• Royal Air Force Air Cadets
  • Staffordshire Wing Headquarters
  • No. 395 (Stafford) Squadron ATC

References

1. "Defence Estates Development Plan (DEDP) 2009 - Annex A" (PDF). GOV.UK. Ministry of Defence. 3 July 2009. p. 20. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
2. "History of Stafford". Retrieved 30 March 2014.
3. "No 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron". RAF Lichfield. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
4. "RAF Stafford Mountain Rescue Team". Staffordshire Past Track. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
5. "MOD Stafford Beacon Barracks". Retrieved 30 March 2014.
6. "British soldier accused of terror offences appears in court". BBC News. 28 January 2023.
7. "MOD Stafford Beacon Barracks". Forces MOD Stafford Community Information Portal. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
8. "Plan for 300 soldier homes at Stafford's Beacon Barracks". BBC. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
9. Lancaster, Mark (29 November 2018). "Army:Written question - 194616". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
10. "395 (Stafford)". RAF Air Cadets. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
11. administrator (3 November 2022). "Key MOD strategic asset to merge into Defence Equipment & Support". Defence Equipment & Support. Retrieved 26 November 2023.