JPW has been carrying out research into the Schleswig-Holstein area (amongst many others), and has put together a list of towns/areas that were occupied at some time by the Allied Forces.

In quite a few cases he has managed to identify the names given to various Barracks by the British, and is looking for infromation regarding both those already named, and those that remain. I have an interest in a couple of them regarding my own efforts.

Does anyone on the Forum have any information regarding the Barracks and/or Units in this area. His notes are shown below.

Paul.

BARRACK NAMES IN SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN

A consequence of my ongoing studies into the deployment of British and Scandinavian Army units in the aftermath of World War 2 in Schleswig-Holstein is the variety of locations and barracks I have found and in particular the individual barrack names.

This poses the supplementary question who named the barracks and why?

There follows a synopsis of my findings, I would be most grateful if the knowledgeable contributors to the site could add any relevant details.

BAD BRAMSTEDT
HQ 44 Infantry Brigade, part of 15 Scottish Division, Summer 1945, possibly in tented accommodation

BRUNSBUTTEL
Name unknown 11th Hussars were the first Army unit to occupy the town.

ECKERNFORDE
4th Battalion Coldstream Guards Spring 1946. All Arms Amphibious Warfare Training Centre 1946-??.

ELMSHORN
3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry May-July 1945

EUTIN
The Royal Dragoons are known to have been based in the area in late 1945 but in tented accommodation?

FLENSBURG
Hereford Barracks

Quantock Barracks
159 Infantry Brigade (including 4th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, 1ST Battalion Herefordshire Regiment and 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment) May-June 1945 (Note 2)
3RTR Summer 1945-Summer 1947
33 Parachute Light Regiment RA (future 7RHA) February-September 1948
1st Infantry Battalion Tyskland Norwegian Brigade September 1948 –Spring 1951
Artillery Field Regiment Norwegian Tyskland Brigade September 1948- April 1953
Anti Tank Battery Norwegian Tyskland Brigade Spring 1951- April 1953

(Note 1) Operation Blackout, involving 158 Infantry Brigade, was carried out in late May 1945 to arrest the remnants of the last of the Nazi High Command, under Grand Admiral Doenitz, trapped in the suburbs of Flensburg. The Brigade included 1st Battalion The Herefordshire Regiment.

The exact allocation of individual units to Barracks has yet to be confirmed though it is believed the majority of units were based in Hereford Barracks in the centre of the town, subunits including the Norwegian Anti Tank Battery could have been based in Quantock Barracks in the suburb of Murwick.

GLUCKSTADT
Peterborough Barracks
1RTR were the first to occupy the town but the name does not appear relevant to the Regiments traditions

HAMBURG
Arborfield/Adams Barracks.
First occupied by REME units who named the Barracks after their UK Depot. Renamed Adams prior to or on arrival of KDG

Hilsea Barracks RAOC Depot
Named after the then UK Training base of the Corps

St Andrews Barracks
Named by first occupants 2 SG

St Patrick’s Barracks
Named by first occupants 2 IG

HUSUM
Leicester Barracks
23rd Hussars, part of 29th Armd Bde, 11th Armd Div, (a wartime only Regiment formed from cadres of 10th and 15/19th Hussars) May 1945.
153 (Leicestershire Yeomanry) Field Regiment RA ??1945-Spring 1946.
22 Light Anti Aircraft Regiment RA Spring 1946-February 1948.
5th Battalion Parachute Regiment Spring 1948-September 1948 (Note 1)
2nd Infantry Battalion Norwegian Tyskland Brigade September 1948-Spring 1951.
Anti Aircraft Battery Norwegian Tyskland Brigade Spring 1951-April 1953
Note 1 Renumbered 2 PARA in July 1948.

ITZEHOE
Headquarters 7 Armoured Division Summer 1945?
8TH Kings Royal Irish Hussars May- July 1945
7th Battalion The Parachute Regiment February 1948- September 1948 (Note1)
3rd Infantry Battalion Norwegian Tyskland Brigade September 1948-Autumn 1949
Headquarters Den Danske Commando i Tyskland Autumn 1949-Autumn 1958
All Arms Battle Group (Infantry Heavy) Den Danske Commando Autumn 1949- Autumn 1958
Logistic units Den Danske Commando Autumn1949- Autumn 1958

(Note1) Renumbered 3 PARA in July 1948

KAPPELN
The 15/19th Hussars, Summer 1945

KIEL
Brompton Barracks
Dorset Barracks
Hendon Barracks (in the northern suburb of Holtenau)
46 Highland Brigade, part of 15 Scottish Division, were the first British troops to be based in Kiel area at the end of WW2, 7th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders were the first to be based in the Holtenau Barracks but stayed less than a week. Other units in the first phase of the occupation of the Hanseatic City, Provincial Capital of Schleswig Holstein and the largest Naval Base in Germany included:-

Headquarters Kiel Brigade (formed from Headquarters Artillery 8th Corps and in overall command of all Army units in the city) May 1945-??
46 Highland Brigade(9th Battalion The Cameronians, 2nd Battalion The Glasgow Highlanders, 7th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders) May 1945 (Note 1)
117 Infantry Brigade Royal Marines (31 Battalion, 32 Battalion and 33 Battalion RM) May –July 1945 (Note 2)
63 (Oxfordshire Yeomanry) Anti Tank Regiment RA
121 (Leicestershire) Light Anti Aircraft Regiment RA
10 Survey Regiment RE
224 and 278 Field Companies plus specialist units RE
193 Field Ambulance RAMC
90 Company RASC
312/516/909 Military Government Detachments, Control Commission Germany

Subsequently;
4th Royal Horse Artillery July 1945-1948
1st Battalion Grenadier Guards ??1945-??1946
29 Field Regiment RA 1948-1951
Elements of 6 Guards Brigade were also based in the Kiel area during the Summer/Autumn 1945 (Note 3)
2nd Infantry Battalion and Patrol Company, Norwegian Tyskland Brigade Spring 1951-April 1953 (Note 4)
Advanced Watermanship Training Centre Royal Engineers 1960-??
British Kiel Yacht Club

(Note1) Handed over military responsibilities in the City to 117 Bde RM and were redeployed elsewhere in Schleswig Holstein
(Note2) Assumed responsibility for providing the Guard Force for the Naval Dockyards and Occupation duties though out the city
(Note3) Former 6 Guards Armoured Brigade
(Note 4) Based in Hendon Barracks

Brompton could reflect either a London connection or the Chatham Kent Sapper training establishment. Alternatively the name may have been given by elements of 117 Infantry Brigade Royal Marines who were based in Kiel throughout Summer 1945 (There was a large Royal Marines presence in the Medway towns). A Guards Brigade were also based in the area in Summer 1945.

LEHMKUHLEN(HOLSTEIN)
3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry July 1945-March 1946

LUBECK
Cambrai Barracks
Furness Barracks
Knightsbridge Barracks

Elements of 7th Armd Div, 6 Guards Armoured Brigade (including 3rd Tank Battalion Scots Guards), and 1st Commando Bde RM are believed to have been the first British units to enter the Hanseatic City. There was a large British presence in Lubeck in the immediatew post war period. This could have also included
Headquarters 15 Scottish Division Autumn 1945?
2 Battalion Gordon Highlanders Autumn 1945
131 (City of Glasgow) Field Regiment RA December 1945-January 1946
Subsequently
4th Hussars 1947
3rd Hussars 1948-49 (Note1)
15/19th Hussars 1949-1951
4/6 Battalion The Parachute Regiment Spring 1948-Sept 1948 (Note2)
2 Medium Workshops REME 1945-1949 (Note3)

(Note1) Arrived from Rendsburg, Departed for Munster
(Note2) Battalion renumbered 1 PARA July 1948
(Note3) Located in former Dornier Aircraft Factory

NEUMUNSTER
First British units in the town have not yet been identified.
McLeod Barracks
Kings Dragoon Guards 1951-56
13/18th Hussars 1956-58

St Georges Barracks
Appears to have been the base for a number of co-located Logistic (RASC, RAOC, REME) units. These included
2 Parachute Brigade Company RASC, Ordnance Company RAOC and Workshop REME Spring 1948-September 1948 (Note1)
Engineer, Stores and Workshop Companies Norwegian Tyksland Brigade September 1948-Spring 1951
15/19th Hussars 1951-56

(Note 1) Renumbered 16 in July 1948

NEUSTADT (HOLSTEIN)
Headquarters 1 Commando Brigade RM (with 45 and 46 Commando RM under command) were based in the area in May/June 1945 to provide the Guard Force and to carry out other security duties along the Baltic coast

PLON (PLOEN)
Connaught Barracks.
Named after the Duke of Connaught.
Headquarters 8th Corps May 1945-??
Headquarters 6th Guards Tank Brigade May 1945 (Note1)
Headquarters Guards Division May 1946-May 1947
Headquarters Schleswig Holstein Sub Area May 1947-April 1948
King Alfred School Ploen May 1948-July 1959

(Note1) Renamed 6 Guards Brigade in June 1945

RATZEBURG
131st Field Regiment RA, part of 227th (Highland) Infantry Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division Autumn 1945 in tented accommodation?
2nd Battalion Glasgow Highlanders December 1945-??

RENDSBURG
The principal military installations were given names with a London theme by the British Army.

Albuhera Barracks
Albuhera was clearly named by the 1st Battalion Middlesex Regiment (Regimental Battle Honour) 1946-1947.

Kingsway Barracks
3 Medium Regiment RA (future 3RHA) ??-April 1947
15 Medium Regiment RA April 1947-Spring 1948
23 Parachute Field Ambulance RAMC February 1948-September 1948
Reconnaissance Squadron, Transport Company and Medical Units Norwegian Tyksland Brigade September 1948-Spring 1951
1st Infantry Battalion and Engineer Company Norwegian Tyskland Brigade

3rd Hussars were also very briefly stationed in Rendsburg in late 1947 before moving to Lubeck

The large NAAFI Club in the town was known as Covent Garden.

SCHLESWIG
Caterham Barracks.
Caterham was the long term location of The Guards Depot up until 1960 but no Foot Guards unit has been identified as being stationed in the Schleswig area. 16th/5th Lancers, 3rd County of London Yeomanry and 8th RB (mainly recruited in the East End of London) are known to have been based in the area in the immediate post war era.

Kitchener Barracks
8th Battalion The Rifle Brigade ??- March 1946
3rd County of London Yeomanry March 1946-April 1946
16/5 Lancers May 1946-??1947
Headquarters 2 Parachute Brigade February-September 1948 (Note1)
2 Parachute Brigade Signals Squadron February- September 1948 (Note1)
Headquarters Norwegian Tyskland Brigade September 1948-April 1953
Signals Company Norwegian Tyskland Brigade September 1948-April 1953
Military Police Company Norwegian Tyskland Brigade September 1948-April 1953
Transport and Stores Company Norwegian Tyskland Brigade September1948-April 1953
Medical Units Norwegian Tyskland Brigade Sept 1948-April 1953 (Note2)
Workshop Company Norwegian Tyskland Brigade Sept 1948-April 1953 (Note3)
Note 16/5th Lancers were definitely based in Kitchener Barracks, the majority of the Norwegian units were definitely based in Caterham Barracks.

(Note 1) Renumbered 16 in July 1948
(Note 2) Norwegian medical personnel were also employed in the local civilian hospital
(Note 3) The workshop was based at the nearby RAF Schleswigland

Can anyone add to/confirm the above information?

JPW


Edited 13/02/09

I can't add a great deal, but the following may help a little.

Under Husum you have 153 Fd Regt RA (actually 153 LAA Regt) and 22 LAA Regt. These are in fact the same unit. In 1947 when the RA renumbered all its Regts 153 became 22.

Under Itzehoe the barracks were named Borgard Bks (ex Gallwitzkaserne). This would suggest that the first occupants were RA, which would be 1 Heavy Regt RA. They were certainly there when they were redesignated 27 Hy Regt on 01 May 1947. They left for Hong Kong in Sep '49.
The barracks were handed over to the Norwegians in 1949 and then to the Danes in 1950/51. They were eventually handed back to the German Army and occupied by a field ambulance unit but I'm not sure when.

I did pass this and some other information on to the e-mail address on the main site but it never appeared on the site. In fact it looks like the main site is no longer updated which is a shame.

Cheers/Mike