Iserlohn

Can anyone help me out with any pics or info on Iserlohn? I'm trying to visit the place soon, but need to find time. Anything would be welcome.

The garrison at Iserlohn, part of 3 Div consisted of :-

Argonne Bks - BMH Iserlohn
Barrosa Bks - Inf Bn
Corruna Bks - Engineer Regt
Peninsular Bks - Armoured Regt

Administrator wrote:

Can anyone help me out with any pics or info on Iserlohn? I'm trying to visit the place soon, but need to find time. Anything would be welcome.

Peninsula & Barossa Bks are over in Dielinghofen, which is now an industrial estate! The blocks were all single story, Corrunna Bks which is on the outskirts of Iserlohn is a traditional old German Bks, that we know and love as is the BMH. More info on this link!

http://ruhrmemories.ca/4cibg/ under Hemer Forts!

I lived in Iserlohn from Dec 1949 to July 1953, my father posted to Epsom Barracks, on the road out of town, just up from MQs that were built in about 1952, where we eventually lived. I notice that Epsom Barracks is not mentioned on the Iserlohn page, so perhaps the name was changed?

Hi there,
I'll add Epson Barracks to the site. Any more info on it?
Phil.

I will try to get more info on Epsom Barracks, I was only young at the time of living in Germany and my parents are now both deceased so I cant ask them. However I am in touch with a few of the members of Dads old regiment, so I will see if they can help me.

Stationed at Iselohn in the early 70's. definitely ex canadian married quarters at least for officers. My wife (girlfriend then, ) and I used to babysit for one. I have some photos taken around the lakes and I'll look them out, but I've just changed houses so it may take a while

colin wrote:

Stationed at Iselohn in the early 70's. definitely ex canadian married quarters at least for officers. My wife (girlfriend then, ) and I used to babysit for one. I have some photos taken around the lakes and I'll look them out, but I've just changed houses so it may take a while

Was it the married quarters in Iserlohn or in Hemer? The bulk of PMQs were in Hemer, along Zeppeliner Strasse and in around Berliner Strasse, where the youth club was located. The quarters in Iserlohn I am not as familar with but think they were officer lines, for sure.

I'd love to see the photos you have!

When in the early 70's were you there? I was there (Iserlohn/Hemer) in 1972.

Hi,

I was in the 1st Btn The Queen's Royal Regiment,we moved from
Berlin, I think it was 1950, down to Iserlohn,the Barracks we went into was previously occupied by the Royal Fusiliers,they moved to another barracks, also I think in Iserlohn. I am trying to remember the name of the barracks in Iserlohn that we moved to- as far as I can remember it was also 5 Brigade H.Q. Aldershot Barracks, Iserlohn, sticks in my mind,but not sure, it was in B.A.O.R. 24 I can remember that. Is there anyone out there who can answer my query at all.
Rob.

The Bks located in town near the cemetery was indeed called Aldershot Bks BFPO 24. This Bks was only in use up to 1968, and has long since been handed back to the German Authorities.

Regards
Chris

Epsom Barracks was also BFPO 24, and I have been told that only the block by the gate is still standing. The rest of the property has been built over.

Hi there,

Just a quick note to say hi and to say that I was born at the BMH in Iserlohn August 1st 1955. My dad Bernard Ashby was a Lance Corporal in the 1st Worcestershire Regiment at the time.

Regards

Michael Ashby

Hello and welcome Michael aka aussie55.

I don't suppose you have any details of where the Worcesters were before and after Iserlohn by any chance

This is just me on my quest for information

Paul.

Hi Phil and all
Have just joined the forum as now I have some time to continue my research on the British Army in Iserlohn as was stationed here 30 years ago and moved back and living in Sümmern since Dec 2001 and pleased to have found such a great website with loads of information and hope to offer more
Regards
Steve

Steve wrote:

Hi Phil and all
Have just joined the forum as now I have some time to continue my research on the British Army in Iserlohn as was stationed here 30 years ago and moved back and living in Sümmern since Dec 2001 and pleased to have found such a great website with loads of information and hope to offer more
Regards
Steve

I know Suemmern, although not well. It was one of the surrounding towns which housed many Canadian families living "on the economy" and our school bus swung through it to pick kids up.

Of course, Suemmern is in a nice area of the Sauerland, as is Iserlohn. If you have photos of the area (Iserlohn, Hemer, the Hoennetal, various towns and villages of the area) I'd sure be interested in seeing them!

Hi Steve,

Wow you live in Sümmern? I lived in MQ's on Taigelbrand 1970-71. The School was nearby. I tried to see it on Google Earth but it appears to have vanished! Any ideas?

There are a couple of aerial shots of Sümmern in the Iserlohn Various section.

Hi Stephen will do what I can cheers Steve

Windsor Boy wrote:

Hi Steve,

Wow you live in Sümmern? I lived in MQ's on Taigelbrand 1970-71. The School was nearby. I tried to see it on Google Earth but it appears to have vanished! Any ideas?

There are a couple of aerial shots of Sümmern in the Iserlohn Various section.

The school was replaced with a block of flats have seen the aerial shots were we live is off the photo to the left Cheers Steve

Administrator wrote:

Hi there,
I'll add Epson Barracks to the site. Any more info on it?
Phil.

Hi Phil and all
Looking through everthing available so far have come up with the following...but could be wrong!

1947 Epsom Barracks formally Seydlitz Kaserne
1957 Epsom Barracks taken over by the Canadians as Fort Beausejour
1970 Fort Beausejour becomes Corruna Barracks and 26 Engr Regt moves in
1994 Corruna Barracks close - plenty of buildings still standing photos soon!

1947 Mons Barracks formally Winkelman Kaserne
1968 Mons Barracks taken over by the Canadians as Fort Qu’Appelle – moved to Lahr in 1970 - now housing with photos on the Canadian site Ruhr Memories

1947 Aldershot Barracks formally German Air Force barracks
1968 Aldershot Barracks closed – guess for the reason found on the internet - you have some photos

"There is a German tunnel system running for miles under the Camp/The Tank Park is built on top of the old German Tank Park - they sealed in a full Sqn of German Tanks and their crews..."

Absolute fact. If there are any crusty old 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards veterans here, they will remember that it happened in Aldershot Barracks, Iserlohn in the winter of 1966/67. The barrack square was at the top of the camp and had a slightly raised approach to it. A crack appeared over several days (or weeks), running the width of the square where it was joined by the approach road. One evening, the prowler guard failed to return to the guardroom at the end of his stag, and a patrol was sent out to locate him. After some time, they heard a faint sound of someone calling for help and, following the voice, found that the crack in the road had opened up and the prowler had fallen into it, and was now about fifteen feet below in a large dark hole.

Ladders and lights were brought at which time it was discovered that the square was actually the roof of an underground tank-park with a large steel door and it had all been covered in tarmac or concrete. The weight of the concrete had collapsed the rusted door thereby forming the crack which eventually gave way. There are many other "interesting" tales about that place, but for another time, maybe. By the way...."No" I was not the prowler.

I never heard this story!! They sealed both the tanks and their crews?? Good grief.

Another story -- and I'm not sure which barracks it was, but I think it was Fort Qu'Appelle (later Mons Barracks) -- during the Canadian close-out I was assisting with the clearing out of beds and lockers and such from the barracks themselves when one of the young soldiers I was working with burst into the area we were in, looking very pale. Apparently, he'd been up by himself on the third floor and had seen a circa WWI German soldier walk down the hall, turn and walk through one of the walls. Freaked the poor fellow out.

I've since heard such sightings were not uncommon in any of those old barracks.

Stephen a quick memory of my time in Fort Qu'Appelle. I had a single room on the second floor of the barracks allocated to 1 SSM Bty RCA. My room could be locked by and old fashion skeleton key. I would lock my room and it would be unlocked in the morning. This was a common occurrence. I had a met a local German who told me that some German Army deserters were put up against the brick wall at the end of our parking lot and shot. You could see pock marks in the wall. So it could be true. But why the young lad woud see a WW1 German soldier, I don't understand as I believe these barracks were built prior to WW 2

Hmmm...I could be a bit off re my reference to the German soldier being circa WWI. As I recall, the barracks had been around for some time but as I think more on it, perhaps not pre-1930's?

So, perhaps the spectre was circa WWII, a Panzer as I recall but keep in mind I am going back 30+ years in memory and details are a bit hazy now.

BMH Iserlohn, apparently, also had its share of 'things going bump in the night' and it wasn't always interns and nurses LOL.

I am not aware of any stories of this nature attached to the camps out in Deilinghofen but then they were built comparatively recently (1950s if memory serves). And no where near as gothic and spooky-looking as the older 3-storey Kasernes/barracks.

Hi,
Not sure if anyone can help me or direct me to where I would get more info to locate a long lost relative that may have been stationed here in Iserlohn around 1957 last name Quinn? Much appreciated for the help!

dragontea wrote:

Hi,
Not sure if anyone can help me or direct me to where I would get more info to locate a long lost relative that may have been stationed here in Iserlohn around 1957 last name Quinn? Much appreciated for the help!

Any idea of a Regiment/Corps?
Was it Iserlohn itself that they were stationed in?
How long were they in the area?

With a name like Quinn it could mean an Irish connection, and there have been a few Irish/Ulster Regiments in the area of Iserlohn/Deilinghofen over the years.

Paul.

I was stationed in Dortmund, and the Ulster Rifles were at Iserlohn in 1960
jerry