MCTC
( Military Corrective Training Centre )
Colchester
Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC)
The MCTC is an establishment that provides corrective training for those servicemen and women sentenced to periods of detention; it is not a prison.
The principal function of the MCTC is to detain personnel, both male and female, of the three Services and civilians subject to the Armed Forces Act, in accordance with the provisions of the Service Custody and Service of Relevant Sentences Rules 2009 (SCSRSR 09).
The MCTC takes servicemen and women who have been sentenced to periods of detention from 14 days to 2 years.
There are 3 categories of detainees: •Those from the RN, RM, British Army and RAF who are to remain in the Services after sentence and will serve their detention in A Company.
•Those from the RN, RM, British Army and RAF who are to be discharged after their sentence and will serve their detention in D Company.
•Those held in Military custody either awaiting the outcome of an investigation, or awaiting HM Prison or YOI placement.
The categories of detainees defined above are kept separate throughout their detention.
Up to 264 detainees can be held at the MCTC.
The MCTC has extensive Military Training facilities and an Education Wing that includes trade training.
Origins
The Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC), in Colchester was formerly a wartime Prisoner of War Camp No 186 and is the only surviving Military Establishment following the closure of MCTC Stonecutters Island in Hong Kong in 1976.
The foundations for the rebuild of the MCTC, as it looks today, were laid in 1983 and the detainees moved into the new accommodation in 1986.
In 1988, the official opening of MCTC Colchester was carried out by the then Secretary of State for Defence, The Right Hon George Younger MP.
Welcome to
MCTC
Voices from the
Glasshouse
Carole McEntee-Taylor
Military History Author
Author of military history and historical fiction.
Trustee at: ' Help4Homeless Veterans '
Carole lives in Crowle, North Lincolnshire, England
Carole is also a ' Supporter ' of ' Veterans Families Radio '
Military history includes
Herbert Columbine VC (WW1),
A Battle Too Far (WW2),
Surviving the Nazi Onslaught, (the story of my father in law),
Military Detention Colchester from 1947- Voices from the Glasshouse,
The Battle of Bellewaarde June 1915,
From Colonial Warrior to Western Front Flyer,
All published by Pen & Sword.
Author royalties from military history books go to military charities or, as in the case of Herbert Columbine VC, towards the Columbine statue fund.
MCTC
from the Air
MCTC
Kit Inspection
MCTC
Room Inspection
The Old
MCTC
*** NOTE ***
If you plan to watch the Videos below, please ' MUTE ' the Large Radio Station Player
A Video Documentry on MCTC
This Section is for you to tell your Stories about what you experienced inside MCTC Colchester.
Send me an email: Tom Mcgreevy ( Radio Station Manager & Webmaster )
to:
tommcgreevy@virginmedia.com
With your Story or Short Tale
( For my Sins, I Served 84 Days there myself in '74/'75 so I know what you're talking about )
Then I'll publish your Tales on here.
Here is the first Story from ' Joe McAllister '
Joe McAllister
( Inmate in 1972 in )
M.C.T.C. Colchester Essex.
Sentenced to 6 months detention by district court martial, at 2 Div Signal regiment, BAOR in January 1972. Various charges, the main one being absent without leave for 11 months. Transported under escort to M.C.T.C. Colchester in February to begin sentence.
On arrival at Colchester I was met by the RSM in the guardroom, along with 2 other soldier's under sentence, and threatened with extreme disciplinary action, if we stepped out of line in any way. After this volatile dressing down we were marched at 160 paces to the minute by one of the provost staff, to our nominated wings. I went to A wing which was for 1st offenders, B wing was for repeated offenders, D wing for discharged servicemen, and C wing (called the block) for inmates in solitary confinement, and on a restricted diet, namely RD1. RD1 consisted of bread and water, RD2 bread water and porridge. RD3 was the normal diet which was also restricted.
All of the provost staff apart from the PTI's were ranked staff sergeant and above. I was marched in front of the SSM and told all the rules which had to be strictly adhered to. We lived in nissen huts and it was then I found out why it was called the Glasshouse. The whole front of the hut was glazed with a tiny toilet at the back, which had a tiny window. This meant that the guards could see what you were doing all the time.
The only reading material consisted of a bible, and a book of the Queen's rules and regulations. There was a pot bellied stove in the middle of the hut. Bed packs and kit layout surprisingly were not as extreme as in a regimental guardroom. In fact there was minimum bulling not even the boots, which were just brush polished. I was told bulling ruined the boots and cracked them.
Smokers received 2 cigarettes a day at meal times with no breaking off to save some for later.The food was reasonable but the never seemed to be enough. Not surprising when you were burning thousands of calories a day. On Sundays we dressed in number 2s and marched up to church. Afternoons we cleaned the lines.
In the morning we were awakened at 6.30 and marched down to the washrooms in our pyjamas, and given 5 minutes to wash and shave. The hygiene was terrible, all that sweating and we were allowed only one bath per week. We had to wash our underwear and socks in the bath with us as we were not given an allocated time for this. You daren't complain our life would have been hell if we had.
The field officer used to come round once a week, and the whole garrison would parade on the square. "Any man with a request or complaint step forward now" he would call. Nobody ever did, at least not while I was there. Colchester was run on strict basic training lines, I imagine like the Paras or Marines. Battle PT and drill all day for 6 weeks with one hours military education every day.
We even had a passing out parade, before moving on to stage 2. In stage 2 we had a games room and you could watch tv for 1 hour at night, but I never saw much of this thanks to Ted Heath's dispute with the miners. We had power cuts every night. The assault course was formidable and daunting at first, with 50 foot pine trees which had to be traversed, before sailing down the death slide.
Plenty of weapon training in stage 2 we even went on the rifle range, and finished up with a 10 mile bash in open country. Nobody ever tried to escape. When I came out I was never so fit in my life, and completed 4 months with remission without a hitch. Returned to unit in Germany.
Joe McAllister
( Inmate 1972 )
Other Military History Books by Military History Author:
Carole McEntee-Taylor
Author royalties from military history books go to military charities or, as in the case of Herbert Columbine VC, towards the Columbine statue fund.
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