Colchester, Essex: Training Kitchener’s Army

Colchester was a garrison town long before the outbreak of World War One – the largest military town in Essex and Suffolk – but as war was declared Colchester suddenly witnessed a huge influx of volunteer troops. By early November 1914 more than 3,000 men had enlisted in the town at a rate of more than 200 a day.

Several battalions of “Kitchener’s Army” were trained here. At its peak, Colchester had more than 20,000 troops stationed here – doubling its own population. The main focal point of all this activity was the Cavalry Barracks and the Abbey Fields on which the soldiers trained.

Some of the old Cavalry barrack buildings have seen a new lease of life in recent years. The Creffield Medical Centre is one such building, which used to be a riding school during the war where officers trained their horses in dressage and obedience.

Colchester historian Andrew Phillips describes this building’s transformation.

Location: Creffield Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 7GH
Image of soldiers training on the Abbey Fields
Photograph courtesy of Andrew Phillips

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