I had hardly unpacked my bags in Fallingbostel 1965 when I found myself on a soul destoying fortnights holiday in Sennelager guarding something.

I see that on the Sennelager site there is the mention of SITE GUARD.But no interaction.

I know that I was locked into a compounded area for a couple of hours at a time and with real live bullets.

What was I really guarding? Can one say or might the 42 day rule cause a knock at the door.

What was the reasoning behind all units doing this. Was it really logical. I am assuming that it was not as a result of our CO losing a card game or suchlike.

Surely a unit dedicated to the guarding of something so important would have been more professional than strange bodies coming in for two weeks.

Is it still there. Is Sennelager still there in an army sense. Is it possible to view the site using google earth.

I was trying to locate the barracks we stayed in while not on the site guard. My mind tells me it was a Scottish lowland Infantry unit that was playing host. Well it was a trew wearing CSM I remember strangly cos he was WELSH. I feel it was the Black Watch but looking through the various barracks I dont see any Scottish unit listing.

Which barracks housed the visiting site guard or was that also taken in turn.

scarletman

Cheers mate,

Will in one of my sad ol fa*t moments have a look but am watching Torres playing for Spain. I do hope he doesnt do any cheating. He can be wonderful to watch.

again thanks

scarletman

73 Bty drew a short straw and got a Site Guard over Christmas in '83. I think that we stayed in Normandy Bks. Warheads for Lance, 155mm and 8" shells were kept there along with other US ammo. But they were moved around between sites on a regular basis so one never knew what was where. The "Site Guard" manned the outer perimeter whilst the Americans had control of the inner compound.

The high point in our tour of duty was when a group of Belgian SF on exercise mistook the site for their target and were nearly killed. Red faces and almost a diplomatic incident.

The low point was an horrific RTA of which more later........

From the Google Earth view - the left hand rectangle is the old SAS Site (americans in the guard room - Brits guarding the permieter - 4 towers), the bunkers shown to the right inside the red rectangle are the new Fwd Ammo Site which overlies the remains (but uses the old guard room) of the former Rocket Motor site. There was an even earlier site to guard (from the mid 50s) to the south of the red rectangle bordering on the current treeline.

That whole part highlighted on the Google aerial view formed the original Exerzierplatz for Geman cavalry based in Schloss Neuhaus and Paderborn pre turn-of-the-century and WW1 ! and was the earliest part of the trg area being set out in 1851 (the field trg area came later in 1892).

There was also a Site for Honest John warheads near Menden. The Canadians (SSM Bty RCA) did 6 months and the 50th Missile RA did the other 6. Was back in 2007 to have a look. Just a grassy patch in the woods now. Spent a lot of wasted hours there. As in Sennelager, Yanks on the inside us on the outside perimeter.