Soldiers are on the move as new accommodation opens in London and South Cerney

Londoners looked on as 75 bearskinned Guardsmen from F Company, Scots Guards, stopped traffic and Christmas shoppers in their tracks to march through the streets of Chelsea and Westminster en route to their new quarters at Wellington Barracks, near Buckingham Palace. 

This was the Changing of the Guard on a grand scale, with forty Bandsmen from the Scots Guards Regimental Band leading the march, accompanied by three Scots Guards pipers along with pipes and drums from the London Regiment.

Officer Commanding F Company, Major James Hughes said:

"F Company has had six fond years being based in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and have enjoyed being part of the local community. We now look forward to making our new permanent home in Wellington Barracks opposite Buckingham Palace."

The Guards' old home of Chelsea Barracks has been sold to a private development consortium as part of the rationalisation of the Defence Estate.

Meanwhile, in Gloucestershire logisticians were putting their packing skills into practice as troops from 29 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, began moving into 144 new bed spaces at the Duke of Gloucester Barracks in South Cerney, near Cirencester.

The opening of the barracks, under a £9m deal, is part of a wider major MOD programme to improve military accommodation for troops.

Officially opened by by Major General Graham Ewer yesterday, the new accommodation is organised into three blocks: 'Herrick' and 'Telic', named after the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Each block contains 54 bed spaces for junior ranks. 'Oculus', named after the current operation in Bosnia, contains a further 36 bed spaces for senior non-commissioned officers.

The junior ranks' accommodation blocks are organised into eight-person flats with a common room and utility room. Bed spaces are generous and well-laid-out with an en-suite shower room, a walk-in store cupboard, a desk, a four-foot-wide bed, and access to telephone, internet and digital television.

Major Tom Fraser, the Regimental Quartermaster, said:

"The punctual delivery of this accommodation will mean that all of our soldiers are in brand new en-suite rooms by Christmas. They are delighted, and there is no doubt that this is a major step towards retaining them and keeping their morale high."

Lance Corporal Shey McConville added:

"I used to have to share in my old accommodation but now I have my own room with its on bathroom which is great, I'm very pleased."

Project SLAM is one of a number of MOD arrangements for improving single living accommodation. More than 20,000 improved bed spaces have been delivered across the three Services since 2003. In 2006/07 the MOD spent some £700m on all housing and other living accommodation. It anticipates spending £870m in 2007/08 and more than £5bn over the next decade.