A brief history of the Army in Didcot, Part II by David Taylor of Didcot & District Archaeological & Historical Society

THE Didcot Ordnance Depot was only meant to be temporary but by 1919 had become a huge complex covering some eight square miles with its own rail network.

In 1923, a Government committee decided the Depot at Didcot would become permanent. Its status was raised and it was renamed Central Ordnance Depot, Didcot.

Workers were transferred from Greenwich to run it.

In 1925, houses were built in Foxhall Road, Wantage Road and Glyn Avenue, providing homes for this influx of workers, and living quarters were built at Vauxhall Barracks for military and civilian workers.

The Broadway shops appeared in response to the influx of new residents.

By 1933, 164 houses had been built at the Oval within Vauxhall Barracks. The wooden huts on the site built during the First World War were gradually demolished.

The army became more integrated with the town and dances at local halls were attended by the soldiers.

By the late 1930s, it was becoming apparent that war with Germany was inevitable and the clothing department was transferred to a depot in Staffordshire because of damp storage conditions at Didcot.

At the outbreak of World War Two, Didcot and Slaithwaite in Yorkshire were the only two Central Ordnance Depots in the country. The Armed Forces were just not prepared for the coming conflict.

A lot of decentralisation took place with sub depots being established around the country. In the meantime, more sheds were built at the Didcot Ordnance Depot, the Barracks now being manned by no. 4 section RAOC with some 7,000 personnel, 3,000 soldiers and around 4,000 civilians.

The outbreak of war meant a large civilian workforce was required to fulfil all the requirements of a modern army at war, and workers arrived in Didcot by bus and train from many outlying towns and villages.

In 1940, The British Expeditionary Force having been rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk, left behind tons of equipment on the beaches and needed re-equipping fairly quickly because of the threat of invasion. The depot struggled to resupply and the Lease Lend Agreement with the USA filled the gap.

As the war progressed and the Allies were getting the upper hand, thoughts turned to the invasion of Europe to push back the Axis Forces. Operation Overlord was conceived and the landings on the beaches of Northern France took place in June of 1944.

The Didcot Depot played a significant part in Operation Overlord with vast amounts of military equipment being moved to the coast, mainly over the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway line which had been double-tracked by the American army to allow movements of the vast amounts of military hardware required to carry out the invasion of Europe.

The Coronet Cinema in the town was used by the NAAFI for food and recreation for the troops billeted in Didcot.

The Second World War ended in 1945 with victory for the Allied forces in Europe in May, by the surrender of Germany, and in September, with the surrender of Japan.

But there was still an Empire to be maintained and occupation forces to keep supplied. The Ordnance Depot at Didcot was still very much needed.

To be continued.