REME in Bad Harzburg 1949 - 1950 7th Armoured workshop

Hi. This is my first post so hopefully it works!
My father James Purser was in the REME during 1949-1950 as part of National Service. He was stationed at Bielefeld and Bad Harzburg. Dad passed away 5 years ago and stupidly I did not talk to him about his National Service days. My Mum is sending me some photos of when he was in Germany. I know from Mum that he repaired tanks and possibly worked at the 7th Armoured Workshop.
I wondered if anyone might have some information (or photos) about the workshop or what tanks he may have worked on.
I look forward to hearing from anyone.

Regards,

Rob

Rob

Welcome, an interesting question.

As you can see from my profile I did a full career in REME and was stationed in Bielefeld in the early 1970s though I was a frequent visitor over the years.

From what you have said I believe your father was stationed with 7 Armoured Workshop then located in the village of Kunsebeck to the west of Bielefeld proper. The workshop technical accommodation was located in a former German Wehrmacht (Army) armaments factory and I am pretty certain he would have lived in refurbished wooden bungalow style huts originally built for the many conscripted foreign labourers who provided the majority of the workforce during WW2.

I think he would have worked on the repair of various Marks of the Centurion tanks based with Armoured Regiments based in Detmold though there could have been some of the wartime Comets still around.

Regarding Bad Harzburg. I think he would have been entitled to one two week leave trip back to the UK during his time in BAOR. However he may have had short break long weekend style holidays at the BAOR Leave Centre at Bad Harzburg, alternatively he might have volunteered to go on a winter cross country skiing course there

Sadly following an unforeseen and unexpected change of web ownership the original website contents are now locked and despite best efforts it is now impossible to modify the original content or format. If you perservere in the Locations and Forum sections you might come across something of interest.

There are also one or two other experts with a detailed knowledge of the early days of BAOR who drop by from time to time, hopefully they may add to what I have posted

Thank you JPW. That's a bit more information that I didn't know about Dad! I can't imagine for one moment that he would have volunteered to go on a cross country skiing course! There are a couple of photos I have which, when I work out how to post photos, I will put up on the off chance that someone may know where he was when the photos were taken.

I'm not sure of the significance of the BAOR. Are you able to explain the link between National Service, REME and BAOR?

I have mentioned what you have said to my Mum to see if this prompts any memories.

Thanks again.

Rob

BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) was the phrase used to describe the collective grouping/presence of British Army units in North West Germany from Autumn 1945 till the unification of Germany and collapse of Soviet military power in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s and the consequent reduction in the requirement for British Forces to be permanently based in Continental Europe.

Look forward to seeing the photos, someone on this site may well recognise the locations or scenario.

Thank you for that.

Rob

I now have some photos but unfortunately can't upload them. The website it suggests in the FAQs is not accessible.

The photos are of the Workshops themselves with quarries in the background. There is a picture of a tank but not knowing my tanks I don't know if it is a Centurion tank or not.

Does anyone have any idea of how to upload photos?

Thanks.

Rob

Rob
You need to have made a minimum number of posts before being able to "insert image" sorry not sure how many posts so best contact user Mike_2817 for assistance

Thanks Steve.

Aussie - Rob,

I hope the photos come up here? If they do? Please add you comments to a following message for the forum members please.

Regards
Alan

Alan,

Many thanks for uploading the photos. It is much appreciated.

Unfortunately I can't add much more to what I have said in my previous posts. All I know is that my Dad (James Purser) did his National Service in the REME in Germany. He is in the top photo.

I am trying to find out more about the 7th Armoured Workshop to try and understand more about what he did or may have done and just life generally in the REME in Germany. It would be great to hear from people that may have been stationed there. JPW has given me some information about the tanks he may have worked on.

Again thanks for posting the photos.

Regards,

Rob

Am pretty certain that the last sequence of photos were taken in the area of the former ammunition factory at Kunsebek. The quarries show up prominently on current google earth satellite shot.

Our IRONSIDE contributors may be able to confirm the identity of the ARV

Rob, to give you a feel for the lay of the ground, click on the link below. To the right of the Red Marker can be seen the quarry.

Futher across to the right Bielefeld can be seen.



https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/K%C3%BCnsebeck/@52.0346074,8.4251052,9357m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47ba218a2c6c2631:0xea11e61512999c3e!8m2!3d52.036932!4d8.384221

alan8376 wrote:

Rob, to give you a feel for the lay of the ground, click on the link below.  To the right of the Red Marker of Kuensebek, can be seen the quarry, which can be seen in the background of one photo.

Futher across to the right Bielefeld can be seen.



https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/K%C3%BCnsebeck/@52.0346074,8.4251052,9357m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47ba218a2c6c2631:0xea11e61512999c3e!8m2!3d52.036932!4d8.384221

This map of Kuensebek from the early 1950's, shows what appears to be the 2 chimneys, circled in RED, bottom left, which are shown in one photo and quarry top right.

Thanks Alan. Interesting. It looks as though where the workshop was is now a mass of tarmac if i'm looking in the right place (or farmland if I'm not looking in the right place)?
Do you recognise what type of tank is in my Dad's photo above?

Rob

I am no tank man!

I reckon it is a Churchill Armoured Recovery Tank, possibly Mk 2.
Usually identified by rollers under track and the 2 big bin looking things on the turret.
I suspect the Main Armament has been removed by now. You can see the short barrel in the midle of the turret.

The ARV would also have been equipped also with a gantry at the front and also at the rear


The ARV Tank depicted may be minus much of it's kit and gantry, due to repairs being carried out.

At this time, various ARVs were usually made from the Churchill Main Battle Tanks with the turret removed. The photo shows the ARV with turret.



https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=churchill++arv+mk+2++recovery+tank&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CYK2m7ZeKd0bIjjLLFzHdCWn1VlJDcZs3vVc80tc8seR6m6VVp_1bK_1oSTjDwEdKB53yJP3MZSEA5yZ_1ecUItFrji7ioSCcssXMd0JafVEREfjC16jM85KhIJWUkNxmze9VwRjSqOwyzdT3YqEgnzS1zyx5HqbhHD3B4PMsay_1SoSCZVWn9sr-hJOES7_107wNs6TCKhIJMPAR0oHnfIkRevKz-tJzhWIqEgk_1cxlIQDnJnxEWsIMJLQnKISoSCd5xQi0WuOLuETOrcILClNQi&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwirxo2NuvjYAhWJ1RQKHZ6PC_cQ9C8IHw&biw=1680&bih=915&dpr=1#imgrc=O_78Bfio65DVwM:


Exact location is difficult to pin point for Workshop location. Normally, they would have been spread out over a biggish area.

A couple of things to bear in mind.

I reckon it would have been over the cross roads in the farm land running towards the quarries.
1. The Ammunition Factory would not have been located near heavily built up areas.
2. Even the map shown will have been copied from pre war German maps, originally created as early as the 1930's?

It was normal practise was not to mark Barracks and Amunnition depots etc on maps.

Alan

Thanks to Rob and Alan for the images have moved the topic to Bielefeld

REME Units stationed at Künsebeck in the 1940s

Jun 45 – 828 Armoured Troops Workshop REME (Army Troops) from 79th Armoured Division attached 3rd Infantry Division to Aug 45 then 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division both command 1st Corps District

Apr 46 – 4 Armoured Brigade Workshops REME of 4 Armoured Brigade command 1st Corps District

Jul 46 – 22 Armoured Brigade Workshop REME of 7th Armoured Division redesignated 7 Armoured Brigade 1 Jan 47 command 1st Corps District to Jul 47

Sep 47 – redesignated 7 Armoured Workshop REME

Feb 48 – 7th Armoured Division disbanded 7 Armoured Brigade to command Hannover District

Mar 49 – 7th Armoured Division reforms

Hopefully the main website can be updated soon