The barracks were built in 1940. They are named after the village of
Thiepval in northern France, an important site in the
Battle of the Somme and site of the
Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. From 1954, the barracks contained the operational headquarters of No 31 Belfast Group
Royal Observer Corps (ROC) who operated from a protected nuclear bunker on Knox Road within Thiepval Barracks. Converted from a 1940s anti-aircraft operations room (AAOR), the bunker would support over one hundred ROC volunteers and a ten-man
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation warning team, responsible for the famous
four-minute warning in the event of a nuclear strike on the UK. The ROC would also detect radioactive fallout from the nuclear bursts and warn the public of approaching fallout. The two organisations were stood down at the end of the
Cold War. In early 1970, the barracks also became home to
39 Infantry Brigade and provided the headquarters for the
Ulster Defence Regiment. The brigade, as 39 Airportable Brigade, was involved in
The Troubles in Northern Ireland, eventually taking on responsibility under
HQ Northern Ireland for an area including
Belfast and the eastern side of the province, but excluding the South Armagh border region. For most of the conflict, signals support for the brigade was provided by 213 Signal Squadron. From September 1970, the brigade was commanded by (then)
Brigadier Frank Kitson. On 7 October 1996 the
Provisional Irish Republican Army penetrated the heavily fortified base
to detonate two car bombs. The first detonated at 15:35 GMT followed by the second around ten minutes later close to the base's medical facilities where victims were gathering. Warrant Officer James Bradwell (43) was killed and 21 soldiers and 10 civilians were injured. This bombing was the first major attack on a military base in Northern Ireland since the ending of the IRA's ceasefire with the
1996 Docklands bombing. The 39 Infantry Brigade took on some units from
3 Brigade when that brigade was disbanded on 1 September 2004. The HQ
8 Infantry Brigade, based in
Shackleton Barracks,
Ballykelly, County Londonderry, was disbanded and handed over responsibility to HQ 39 Infantry Brigade at Thiepval Barracks on 1 September 2006.
HMS Hibernia '
HMS Hibernia''''' is the name given to a stone frigate of the
Royal Navy, which serves as the headquarters of the
Royal Naval Reserve in
Northern Ireland and is Northern Ireland's only Royal Navy stone frigate. It was commissioned in 2009 to replace the
C-class cruiser as the training establishment for the RNR in Northern Ireland,
Hibernia is located within Thiepval Barracks. The unit numbers approximately 100 officers and ratings and is also home to
University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) Belfast. == Current units ==