The Playing Site

RAF Caerwent (on the Gwent levels, several miles east of Newport), was a major conventional weapons store for the US Army, which was closed in 1993.

The site, which was created as a Royal Navy propellants factory in 1939, was transferred to US administration after De Gaulle expelled the US military from France in 1967. Caerwent was part of the US Army European 'theatre reserve stocks' under the command of the United States Army's "47th Area Support Group Reserve Storage Activity", with an RAF Liaison Party also present.

232 buildings were built or converted for use as explosive stores and the first shipments of shells, rockets, mines, flares and small arms ammo arrived early in 1968. Maintenance facilities were added in 1971.

In the early seventies the site capacity was expanded substantially in 1973. One of the reasons Caerwent was kept was its proximity to the port of Barry where much of the armaments entered the country.

The site, which measures 2 miles by 1.5 miles (nearly 1,600 acres), was able to store 80,000 tons of armaments over 150,000 sq ft, with its own rail system (linked to the national network), many internal roads and a wide range of buildings, from small earth-banked stores to large 4 story lightly-built brick buildings.

We now use around 20 acres of the site with the explicit permission of the MoD.

Have a look at our interactive map of the playing area.