Preston Sea Cadets: Historic huts dating back to the First World War are demolished over safety worries

The Preston Sea Cadets huts in Strand Road have been demolished this week, having been decared unsafe for use four years ago.

The huts – used by cadets for more than 80 years – were the only surviving wooden buildings from the battlefield casualty hospital on Moor Park.

Why demolish them?

The Sea Cadets have been approached for comment about the demolition, but speaking in 2019, a spokesman for the charity told the Post: “The previous building, now 100 years old, has become unsafe and no longer fit as a training environment for young people.

“The timber frames which provide the structural support have signs of rotting and the roof is coming away in places. Together this means that a repair is not financially viable.

“Many feasibility survey and structural surveys have been conducted over the years – and the conclusion of those were that it is unfit for purpose. The building was deemed unusable in 1976, over 40 years ago.

“Asbestos and rotten beams mean that it’s simply beyond repair and under the stress of poor weather the building would likely collapse.

“Therefore it seems more appropriate to dismantle the building in a safe and controlled manner.”

Where do the cadets train now?

The sea cadets moved into new purpose-built headquarters in 2017. The site is adjacent to the huts and was donated to them by the National Lottery in 1999.

What’s the history of the huts?

The Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital was opened on Moor Park in January 1915 - four months after the outbreak of war - to handle casualties from the trenches of the Western Front.

By the time the hospital closed in 1919 it had treated more than 3,200 wounded and traumatised soldiers. Among them were 70 casualties from the infamous Battle of the Somme in 1916 and many more from another bloody campaign at Gallipoli.

After the war the wooden huts were used as an “open air” school in the north east corner of the park until they were replaced by new premises in 1936/7.