Opened during World War I as an ammunition depot, the site now comprises a field training area and an Army Reserve Centre at Lapraik House, the base for C Squadron, 21 Special Air Service.

The tracks in the depot served various factories and stores, and the scale of the depot can be gauged that in a site measuring only 1.25 miles (2.01 km) from north to south, there were over 30 miles (48 km) of track: enough to cover the distance from Basingstoke to Reading and back.

[5] A spur northwards from the military yard reached the south side of Bramley station, which allowed through running services for depot workers.

There are a number of other static helicopters including Lynx and Gazelle airframes in various states of repair scattered throughout the site.

This exercise serves to confirm that the recruits can successfully operate in field conditions whilst demonstrating basic force protection skills.