War Years and Afterwards

[NightHawk]

As this thread moved off topic slightly from Photography section I transferred it here to ensure continuity.  A topic that could develop more fully.
Laurie (Global Moderator).


A very fascinating and detailed piece of your photographic history there Eric - thank you for sharing it with us.

Our older cameras certainly bring back some memories don't they. 

.......... I used it a lot in Germany just after the war as a member of the BAOR. I was at HQ Rhine Army in Bad Oeynhausen.

Small world Eric.  Kathy used to live in Bad Oeynhausen around 1967.  Her dad was in the Army (Royal Signals), stationed at BFPO Herford.

Have a great time in Oxfordshire. 

Laurie.

[Eric Hardy]

What a coincidence! I wonder what it was like when Kathy was there? I was there soon after the war ended and was there for over a year. The town was completely encircled with barbed wire and civilians were not allowed inside except during the day when a few were escorted in to help in certain service jobs. I think it was taken over as the HQ because it had suffered little damage. Places like Hanover were terribly damaged. I had my sleeping quarters in a small hotel next to the Rathuas and worked during the day in the Rathaus itself. I was in the Royal Engineers and got involved in building matters which came in very useful when I was training as an architect. I imagine the central parks and surroundings are not much altered although I expect the buildings are in much better shape. I was involved in designing a garrison church in the park, made of a Romney Hut of all things. The only scope for imagination was the east and west ends. I expect that disappeared 50 years ago. Not really in keeping with the Kurhaus! 

Eric H

[NightHawk]

I'll get Kathy to expand further on this Eric.

She's visiting her mum at the moment so I'll catch up with her later today.

I've created a new topic here so it didn't interfere with the Photography thread.

This happens from time to time, so it keeps everything neat and tidy. 

Laurie.

[NightHawk]

Sadly I was only young when we lived there. I can remember the main town area a little, a big wide street with to my eyes, old looking buildings. Drab anyway.

The town was very full of disabled people I remember that, lots of those big black olde wheelchairs.

We kids always found the best playing spots! We used to walk out of the outskirsts of the town near where we lived in Army Quarters down a small lane to a big wooded area. There was this enormous wall, I found out later was a training wall. It had lots of holes gouged into the concrete. 

My Dad did his nut when I told him where we used to go.

My Mother says the thing she found the most strange living there was apart from the army quarters there was absolutely no sign anywhere we had had a HQ there. No sign at all.

We stayed there for a awhile before moving into Herford, as if we didn't move I would have had to go to bording school in Hamm.

Living in Herford meant (gee lucky me) I could go to school in an old army bus 1 hour down the autobahn to Gutersloh.
I have no fond memories of those trips as I was a very bad traveller, being sick was a common occurrence sadly.

Kathy

[Eric Hardy]

Hello Kathy,

I have not replied to yours earlier because we have been out most of the day enjoying the spring sunshine. My thermometer showed that it had reached 16 degrees in the shade. We managed to get some seed trays and pots on the go in the greenhouse too. Tomatoes and courgettes are already showing.

I think Bad Oeynhausen had probably changed by the time you were there. I don't mean necessarily the buildings but the atmosphere. I was there 20 years before you were and the war had not long finished. Reconstruction had not begun. Unfortunately I had a spot of bad luck with my photos of that era, I left a box of them on the tube in London when I was at university and I never recovered them. Here is a photo of the actual HQ building I found on the Internet.



I travelled round the immediate area a bit. Minden, Herford, Detmold, Bielefeld, Hameln and Bad Salzuflen are all names that come to mind. I had six weeks in Goetingen (where the university is) and also went to Goslar. I am only reeling these names off in case any of them ring a bell. I imagine you were not of an age to take it all in.

I think one of the reasons your mother never found any signs of it being an HQ was because we all occupied existing buildings, there wasn't a barracks as such. The Kurhaus was the NAAFI !!!
I remember General Stratton had  a fine detached house which had originally been built by a German builder for himself. There was a hilarious occasion when he wanted a new fireplace built which we designed for him. I had to spend the whole time sitting on his sofa watching a German bricklayer working. I remember once when the room had one colonel, one major, one CQMS, a staff sergeant and a lance corporal all watching this wretched German lay bricks. It was after all for the General. The lance corporal by the way was me 

Eric H

[NightHawk]

Yes I have heard (visited most) of the towns you mentioned.

My one and only trip to Hameln (Hamlyn from pied piper of )  Was a total nightmare.

My Dad was off doing maneouvres and our next door neighbours offered to take us there in their VW Beetle car.

Travelling in the back seat of one of those cars was dreadful, very little suspension and stinking of petrol..I threw up many many times that day

Not a pleasant memory.

We used to travel through to the Mohne Dam ( not sure of spelling) it felt really weird walking across the top of the dam when I had just been looking at postcards of the time it had just been blown up by the dam busters. My brother and Dad did a lot of dinghy sailing so they took me out with them onto the Mohne lake. I with my dodgy stomach did not like it much.


I have more memories of Herford than anywhere else. It was a quaint little town. At the end of the main road in the town was I think the REME barracks? and it was there that the pipe band back in the early 70's recorded Amazing Grace and ended up in the music charts. Have I got that right???

Sitting here it's such a shock that it was so many years ago , it feels like yesterday.

Memories!

Kathy