Muenster Closed

Muenster Garrison was officially closed last Thursday (4th July) by HRH Prince Andrew. A former comrade of mine (who lives nearby) has described events thus:

The actual ceromony was short but very moving.H.R.H.Prince Andrew presented a sword of Freedom to the Mayor of Münster to replace the one given by General Guthrie (that got stolen).
After the presentation I watched the Yorkshire Regiment march off which was very moving aswell.
I think it was very befitting that a Yorkshire Regiment should be the last Regiment in Münster as Münster is Twinned with York.

Another chapter of the BAOR story closes.

I had a couple of very happy years there despite a short stay in the BMH, sad really.

I also only had a couple of years there.
We were in Portsmouth Bks, which we thought was a punishment posting. A couple of things I recall that happened while there.
On arrival we were lumbered with ancient 25pdr/5.5in mediums and I was back on driving a Saracen Command Post again.
I took a brand-new FV432 on flick, (18 miles on the clock !).
England won the World Cup.
We were one of the last units to be involved in Battle Group training in Libya.

I had my first married quarter there in 78, it was on the 10th floor and we had a tom cat, he used to pee on the balcony and it made the place stink, one evening wifey decided to wash the balcony down with a few buckets of water with dettol and the water landed over all the floors below, most of which had laundry hanging out. Sheesh I was such a popular chap that evening when I got home. 

Very sad to hear indeed. I spent almost four years at 4 Guards Armd Bde HQ & Sig Sqn (York Barracks). 1974 - 1977 .. Happy times.

Me too, 1952/54 York Barracks, 20 Armoured Bde Sig Sqn. A great posting, made a lot of good friends there.

Len

I was never posted to Munster but when I was at Osnabruck my daughter was born at BMH Munster, so I do have a link with the town, however tenuous.

As an aside, we once played the Gren Guards at football in Munster (Oxford Barracks?) After the game as we were getting changed a runner was sent to speak with our team captain, he said we were all invited for drinks...that was all except the black player! We got on the bus and returned to Paderborn without accepting their so called 'hospitality'.

Wilf wrote:

I was never posted to Munster but when I was at Osnabruck my daughter was born at BMH Munster, so I do have a link with the town, however tenuous.

As an aside, we once played the Gren Guards at football in Munster (Oxford Barracks?) After the game as we were getting changed a runner was sent to speak with our team captain, he said we were all invited for drinks...that was all except the black player! We got on the bus and returned to Paderborn without accepting their so called 'hospitality'.

In my opinion you did the right thing.

That must've been a while ago Wilf, even the Woodentops have black blokes in their ranks now. (Have a look at The Trooping of the Colour parade.

brum wrote:

That must've been a while ago Wilf, even the Woodentops have black blokes in their ranks now. (Have a look at The Trooping of the Colour parade.

It wasn't 'that' long ago Brum, mid 1980's, 1986 probably.

Changed days, nowadays they would have two football teams, Ladies and Gents, and the RSM is probably Female.

Another nail in the BFG coffin.

BigJock wrote:

Another nail in the BFG coffin.

We should be grateful for the times we had over there, the next generation will never see or feel it.

Eric England wrote:

BigJock wrote:

Another nail in the BFG coffin.

We should be grateful for the times we had over there, the next generation will never see or feel it.

Eric

Hear, Hear

From another veteran of Munster Garrison (met my wife, a School Teacher, there)

JPW wrote:

Eric England wrote:

BigJock wrote:

Another nail in the BFG coffin.

We should be grateful for the times we had over there, the next generation will never see or feel it.

Eric

Hear, Hear

From another veteran of Munster Garrison (met my wife, a School Teacher, there)

It is truly incredinble really, one could write a book about it and maybe call it the German transformation, we all saw it with different eyes from the fifties for some members to the 60/70/80/90's until present day.

Our fathers experienced a world war and we watched the transformation first hand.

I sincerely hope a new world war never happens but if it does we know lessons can and will be learned by our offspring. I have many German friends today and only a few years back had problems talking to my father about my friends. He is at rest now and nothing I could say would help him to understand the lessons that were learned from his period on this planet.

totally agree ! I learned so much there, a new culture, language and some really nice people. A beautiful city

I can only say "hear hear" to all of the above. I spent the best seven years of my life in and around Muenster. As a civvie I ,and my wife (SSAFA) could not have been better treated by most of the Military for whom we both worked.
We were there from 1979 to 1982 and again from 1984 to 1988.
As I grew up in the wawer, Germany, and all it stood for,  was a complete no- no until I got there. How wrong I was. Being in Germany was a complete education in every way.
It is sad to think that those who follow us will not have the experiences that we lucky few had.
Our thanks to all those great people who we met in BAOR,I only wish we had kept in touch.

and what has happened since:

https://www.stadt-muenster.de/stadtplanung/konversion/bisherige-konversionsprojekte#c44086

Bisherige Konversionsprojekte / Conversion projects thus far (best to compare the photos,
Münster has disabled the translation - it seems).

Lincoln-Kaserne: now the Lincoln-Quartier

Portsmouth-Kaserne: now a living area flats and houses: Wohnquartier Meerwiese

Von-Einem-Kaserne: Uni land: Leonardo-Campus

Buller-, Swinton- und Waterloo-Kaserne: Retail Park: Gewerbepark Loddenheide

Hindenburg–Kaserne: Garden housing estate: Gartensiedlung Weißenburg

Winterbourne–Kaserne: Warehouse district: Speicherstadt

Sportplatz Portsmouth-Kaserne: Residential estate: Wohnsiedlung Hoher Heckenweg
Nelson-Kaserne: Solar powered estate: Solarsiedlung Gasselstiege

I keep losing the English translation. How to change it back. I have done it once.

Alan.

PS. Here s the Converter at the top of page one of Muenster page.



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