caithness Barraacks

Hi, I was with 7th Armd Provo '53/55. The fourth photo in the Caithness series is NOT Caithnes bks. It was the HQ of the Provo and also used by the German GSO personnel

I remember the gates shown in the picture very wellas we had a 2nd Lt who claimed he sould ride a m/c as well as any Don/R. He showed this by promptly riding straight into the large pillar on the left of the gates.
He still went about in Don R gear for a few days but soon gave up. He was also the MTO for a time but was replaced in that function as it was discovered he couldn't drive either!
The building on the left was used as the PAC and the building just shown on the right was the unit NAAFI canteen.

Hi Benjo, I was with 112Coy RASC 55/57 and have looked at that photo myself and thought it was wrong. We the lads had to pass those gates to get to our local watering hole, as I remember it when we booked of the guardroom there was little or nothing outside the gates and it was a fair strech of the legs to get to town. I was a clerk at the time and seem to remember the book/register from the PAC had to be signed of by each unit on a regular bassis. You have helped my memory

Gentles,
Can you give me a pointer to where this image belongs please? Is it Shiel Barracks or somewhere within Verden itself?
Phil.

Phil
Shiel Barracks is not in my memory banks, but thats not say it wasnot there. I think 7 Amd Div HQ was further out of town than Caithness, the photo as I remember it was more or less in town and full of MPs not the sort of place we hung around, the town of course was considerabley smaller than now, sorry I can't help further Phil

Eddie

I lived in Verden 52-54 and was then stationed there with 112 Coy RASC LAD/Wksp 59-62 when the Coy was relocated to Lebenau together with HQ 1 Div Column RASC, finally leaving them for Tiffy trg in 63.I agree with what has been said about the fourth Photo. This not Caithness Bks , it is the RMP Bks (cant remember the Name), it was located on the main road coming into town from Caithness Bks just over the level crossing in town. Next door to it was the TocH. The RMP moved into Caithness Bks when 112 Coy moved to Liebenau.

Administrator wrote:

Gentles,
Can you give me a pointer to where this image belongs please? Is it Shiel Barracks or somewhere within Verden itself?
Phil.

In 77 the RMP were based at Sheil Barracks.

Shiel was 7th Arm'd RMP barracks in 1955 when Caithness was home to Royal Signals. 7th AD RMP policed traffic outside Caithness.

There are a couple of photos of the former Caithness Barracks taken January 2010 on my website at:
www.redcap70.net

I WAS ON THE RGT PROVO STAFF [1 DIV&SIG RGT] IN 1965/68
CAITHNESS WAS THE ROYAL SIGS CAMP.
AND SHIEL BARRACKS WAS 1DIV CAMP WHICH HAD RMP/GSO.
JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD TO SHIEL WAS A NICE PUB
AND JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM CAITHNES WAS [MAMAS]PUB ALSO GOOD

Phil,

I think previous correspondents are correct. The pic is not Caithness Bks but I'm almost certain that it's Shiel. Shiel was also home to 1 Armd Div Court Martial Centre and I frequently travelled there as Adjt of 45 Fd Regt RA during '77-'79. The gates seem familiar!

You might like to add 1 Armd Div CMC to the hosted orgs at Shiel.

Locator wrote:

Phil,

I think previous correspondents are correct. The pic is not Caithness Bks but I'm almost certain that it's Shiel. Shiel was also home to 1 Armd Div Court Martial Centre and I frequently travelled there as Adjt of 45 Fd Regt RA during '77-'79. The gates seem familiar!

You might like to add 1 Armd Div CMC to the hosted orgs at Shiel.

Which photo gentlemen, and I will see about changing its "location"

Paul.

The picture is definitely Caithness Barracks have a look at the photo 'Guard Room and Commcen' on the Sheil Barracks page and look at the window height to the right of the guardroom door
Steve
Verden 67-69

denissowerby wrote:

I WAS ON THE RGT PROVO STAFF [1 DIV&SIG RGT] IN 1965/68
CAITHNESS WAS THE ROYAL SIGS CAMP.
AND SHIEL BARRACKS WAS 1DIV CAMP WHICH HAD RMP/GSO.
JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD TO SHIEL WAS A NICE PUB
AND JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM CAITHNES WAS [MAMAS]PUB ALSO GOOD

Hi Dennis
We were there at the same time I was young signalman on my first posting Jan 67 being under 18 was sent to work in the Officers Mess Sheil Barracks until after Easter and remember the pub you mentioned next to the barracks my first taste of german beer ...there were many guard duties having to guard both barracks...one weekend at Sheil an officer drove under the barrier in his Daimler Dart and received many extra orderly officers…was on guard the night the Bader Meinhof attacked a German Army barracks shot the guard and broke into the armoury…was sent to guard the Sheil Barracks ammo bunkers with a pick axe handle and a torch with a flat battery!!! Happy days!
Steve
Verden 67-69

i remember when the officer went under the barrier.after that when we knew he was comming we droped the pole onto the road

I was stationed in Verden from Sept 68 until March 71 and if I remember rightly Caithness barracks was on Lindhooper Strasse which ran down to the level crossing just before the TocH and Shiel Barracks were on Braunenweg and contained Div HQ, MP accommodation , MSO and REME Lad which is where i worked. The bar just across the road was the Waldshanke and was owned by a lovely lady called Ruth who had been wed to a Canadian but she later went on to marry a Bendeswehr officer called Jurgen. It used to be our starting point before going on into town or up to Bremen or Hamburg. Great times.
Snatch (pete hutchinson)

Anyone remember a pub called the ZollHaus run by a german woman called krysta.....lovely woman

I was posted to B troop 3 Squadron 1 ADSR in July 1974 until 1977. Concur with Tony Gaynor that the Bravo Troop garages were only shared with the squash courts. I don't remember them looking quite so gloomy as that but again as an operator, most of my time was spent over at Shiel in the Comcen. Also spent a considerable amount of time on the ranges with the shooting team, and had to extend my service by a couple of weeks to compete at the Army skill at arms at Bisley in 1977 with a load of borrowed kit as I had cleared from the regiment on termination of service, only to re-enlist in 1979.

Not sure what happened to the Army in those two years but things were never the same. Maybe I just got older.

Does anyone know who nicked my bike while we were away on Summer Sales 76?

stevejoyce wrote:

Does anyone know who nicked my bike while we were away on Summer Sales 76?

That'll be Gordon, I'll put a quid on it !

You lost...I was in Nigeria in 76...And have the scar to prove it..

brum wrote:

stevejoyce wrote:

Does anyone know who nicked my bike while we were away on Summer Sales 76?

That'll be Gordon, I'll put a quid on it !

What colour was it?

blue. It was very handy for nipping between Caithness and Shiel although you had to run the gauntlet of the kids on Saturday morning outside the SKC.

Ah. The one I nicked was red.

stevejoyce wrote:

I was posted to B troop 3 Squadron 1 ADSR in July 1974 until 1977. Concur with Tony Gaynor that the Bravo Troop garages were only shared with the squash courts. I don't remember them looking quite so gloomy as that but again as an operator, most of my time was spent over at Shiel in the Comcen. Also spent a considerable amount of time on the ranges with the shooting team, and had to extend my service by a couple of weeks to compete at the Army skill at arms at Bisley in 1977 with a load of borrowed kit as I had cleared from the regiment on termination of service, only to re-enlist in 1979.

Not sure what happened to the Army in those two years but things were never the same. Maybe I just got older.

Does anyone know who nicked my bike while we were away on Summer Sales 76?

Hi Steve
I was in B Troop Apr 67 to Nov 69 and have read up on the notes...B Troop garages correct but not sure about sharing either just remember TM Troop was behind the garages...also worked in the comcen as DR in 67 managed to write of a Hillman Husky...no squash courts in my time the troop must have got smaller we had circa 30 vehicles I was G1098 storeman from late 67 and MT NCO from mid 68...can only remember one RCT driver he was made up to lance jack at the very end of his 22 years a real character
Best regards
Steve - also re-enlisted after a couple of years out

I was at Caithness Barracks with 26Flt AAC between 1968 and 1971. We had Westland Scouts and Alouette II helicopters there. We shared the AAC area with ! Div RE Flt who initially operated Saunders Roe Skeeters and then Bell 47 Sioux helicopters.

I have a number of photographs of my time there and would like to upload them to this site but so far I have been unable to do so. Can anyone help?

Use Photobucket I find that the best method ..

Len (Ciphers)

ciphers wrote:

Use Photobucket I find that the best method ..

Len (Ciphers)

Snap! (no pun intended) (well, maybe a bit).