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GORDON HIGHLANDERS
Castlehill & Gordon Barracks — The Spiritual Home
For generations of Gordon Highlanders, the barracks of Aberdeen were more than a place of duty. They were home — the place where soldiers were forged, friendships were made, and the regiment's proud traditions were kept alive.
ABERDEEN — HEART OF THE REGIMENT
The Gordon Highlanders have always been an Aberdeen regiment at heart. Raised from the north-east of Scotland in 1794, it was to Aberdeen that they always returned — and it was in Aberdeen that the two great barracks which defined their regimental life were built.
Castlehill Barracks, perched above the city, and Gordon Barracks at Bridge of Don were the beating heart of the regiment — places of training, ceremony, departure, and homecoming. Generations of Gordon Highlanders passed through their gates, marching out to serve across the world and, if they were fortunate, marching back again.
For the men who left for the Far East in the 1930s and 1940s, these barracks were the last sight of home many would ever know.
THE BARRACKS
A History in Stone
Castlehill Barracks
Above the City — Aberdeen's Military Heart
Castlehill Barracks stood on the high ground overlooking Aberdeen city centre, a commanding presence that reflected the regiment's proud place in the life of the city. Built in the 19th century, the barracks served as the regimental depot for the Gordon Highlanders — the place where recruits were trained, soldiers were mustered, and the traditions of the regiment were passed from one generation to the next.
For the people of Aberdeen, Castlehill was a familiar landmark — a symbol of the regiment that was so deeply woven into the fabric of the city and the north-east of Scotland.
Gordon Barracks
Bridge of Don — A New Home
Gordon Barracks at Bridge of Don, to the north of Aberdeen, became the regiment's principal base — a modern military complex that housed the Gordon Highlanders through the latter decades of their independent existence. Named in honour of the regiment itself, Gordon Barracks was a place of immense pride for the men who served there.
From here, soldiers trained, prepared for deployment, and maintained the fierce regimental traditions that had been passed down since 1794. The barracks became a community in itself — a place of camaraderie, discipline, and shared identity.
1937
Departure for the Far East
In 1937, the 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders departed for Singapore from Gibraltar. For many of these men, Aberdeen and its barracks were the last connection to home they would carry with them. They departed as soldiers of the Crown — disciplined, proud, and steadfast. Few could have imagined what lay ahead.
1942–45
Empty Barracks — Absent Men
When Singapore fell in February 1942 and the Gordons were taken prisoner, the barracks at home fell quiet. Families in Aberdeen and across the north-east waited for news that often did not come. The men who had marched through the gates in their kilts and bonnets were now thousands of miles away, enduring captivity, forced labour, and suffering beyond imagination.
1945
Homecoming
When the war ended and survivors began to return, the barracks became a place of reunion and quiet reflection. For many, returning to Aberdeen was bittersweet — a reminder of those who had not made it back, and of the years of their lives lost to captivity. The regiment welcomed its men home, but the scars — physical and psychological — ran deep.
Legacy
A Regiment Remembered
Though the Gordon Highlanders were eventually amalgamated into the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006, the connection between the regiment and Aberdeen endures. The Gordon Highlanders Museum on Viewfield Road in Aberdeen stands as a permanent memorial to the men who served — ensuring that their stories, including those of the Far East Prisoners of War, are never forgotten.
WHAT THE BARRACKS MEANT
More Than a Military Base
For the Gordon Highlanders, their Aberdeen barracks were never just places of work. They were the foundation of regimental identity — and a constant connection to home.
Training & Tradition
Generations of Gordons were trained within these walls — learning the skills, discipline, and traditions that would define them as soldiers and as men throughout their lives.
Community & Brotherhood
The barracks forged bonds between men that lasted a lifetime. For those who went to the Far East together, that brotherhood sustained them through the darkest days of captivity.
A Place of Memory
For the families of Gordon Highlanders FEPOWs, the barracks represent a connection to their loved ones — the last place of home before the long journey to the other side of the world.
“They left from Aberdeen as soldiers. They returned as survivors. The barracks stood waiting for both.”
— SCOTLAND FEPOW TRUST