Wrexham Barracks-Mulheim/Rhur

I arrived at Wrexham Bks in March 1960 to join 113 coy LAD REME-this was later to become 113Coy(GT HY) Workshops,REME.I was there until Aug 1961 when my National Service ended.
I am currently unearthing some old b&w negatives taken during my spell there and will be contributing these shorly.
I note a comment from D S Osborne on the website that 113 coy RASC operated Sudwerke trucks.
They were Krupp Sudwerke,2 models-Titan & Mustang.picures of which I hope to show later.

Don,

Welcome to the Forum, we hope that you enjoy your visits and look forward to your posts.

Is there any chance that you could supply details about your time in BAOR, such as dates, locations, units etc? They would be very much appreciated.

If you have any problems with posting images, let us know and we will see what we can do to help out.

By the way, I am sending a PM with an e-mail address that may be useful to you. It is of another ex-member of 113 Company.

Paul.

With the kind permission of Maurice Taylor, I have posted some photographs on the Wrexham Barracks page.

They are not all on there yet, but will be over the next few days.

I have noticed that a number of contributors seem to have been in the Barracks around the same time - Maurice, Ted Jones, D.S. Osborne, Don Brockley.

Can any of you gentlemen give any history of the Companies/Squadrons/Regiments of the RASC around that time?

Paul.

Don Brockley wrote:

They were Krupp Sudwerke,2 models-Titan & Mustang.picures of which I hope to show later.

Further to the (edited) quote above, the trucks were indeed Sudwerke models manufactured by Krupp.

They were known as Krupp between 1946 and 1954 as against Krupp because of the conviction of one of the Krupp family as a war criminal. They were possibly known as Sudwerke (South Works?) as they were manufactured in Southern Germany.

Paul.

A number of RASC Coy's have been added to the main site page for Mulheim. These have come to light through various messages on the page and elsewhere.

Unfortunately there are no firm dates for these units, if they were there. Anyone out there have any knowledge of these Coy's?

Paul

I was posted to 114 Coy RASC(Gt) (Hy) in Sept 1958,my mate Eric Broome and I arrived at Wrexham Bks in the back of a 10 to Sudwerke driven by Paddy Ward.We were ex boys via 6 Trg Bn Yeovil, where we had been for 9 months.Eric went to 113 Coy,CSM Hellyer asked him,'ex boy',Eric replied 'yes', 'hard luck,we hate the little buggers here'.
Meanwhile I went into 114 Coy,CSM Stocks asked'ex boy''yes sir''great,we like ex boys here.Dont unpack your kit, were on execise tomorrow. The next week was spent at Leuth on the Dutch border near Venlo,where the Coy spent the week parked on top of one of the Luftwaffe's underground airdromes.,
I went into 'A' Pln, 2Lt Davies (later of football reporting fame on UK TV),Sgt Murphy and some names I remember,Ward,Carroll,Millburn
On promotion to Lcpl I went to HQ Pln, the vehicles;- VW Beetle OC, VW Bus,Austin Champs
Bedford TCV's,3/4 ton battery slave,BSA 500cc motorcycles(mine was built in 1943). I was promoted to Cpl and went back to A Pln, where I had a section of 5 Sudwerkes and Vidal trailers.25XG99 & 25XG95 were 2 of my 10 tonners I also had some 24XG's which were 8 tonners.Brian Peel was my 2i/c,Larry Ames,Scouse Walsh,Masertelli,Barker
After a minor op in BMH Hostert in 1959 I was put into the Q Stores for 6 months light duties,CQMS Robinson, Johnny Matthews,Jimmy Strachan,Jackie Wiseman,Bob Nettleton were storemen but not all at the same time.
I married and lived in one room in a pub in Duisburg Wanheimerort, near the Barracks which housed the area REME Workshops and the BAOR ACC School.
Our OC was Maj Seager,CSM Stocks,Capt Williamson,Cpl Jack Randall,there were also 2 Welsh Cpls who only spoke Welsh together.Also CSM Williams,Sgt Nyazi
Our Coy relieved 65 Coy Berlin every year,they went to Berlin on Saturday and woke to find the wall had been built overnight,I went up 2 weeks later and on my way back,found the checkpoint at Helmstedt full of USA troops and vehicles that had been stopped from going to Berlin.
In 1961 we changed over to 10 ton Magiurez Deutz then we amalgamated with 113 Coy and became 13 Coy and changed our vehs yet again to 3 ton Bedford RL's carrying warheads for the USA.HQ Army Gp Tpt Column moved in,LtCol Wolfe,WOI Beardwell (the RSM used to leave his Sam Brown and pace stick in the guardroom for cleaning,which was chopped into 1 inch squares and matchsticks by Dvr Carson who was in the cells awaiting court marshall.)
CSM Watson,Bill Collins chief clerk,Sgts George Palin and Bob Leyland joined us from Air Despatch.
I did an NBC Course in UK, was promoted Sgt and became Provost Sgt,Qtr Guards,Court Marshalls.
In 1964 I was posted to Omagh NI as a recruiter.
I have quite a few photos which I will try to add

When I was in that area from 1961 to 1964, Wrexham Barracks was the home of 1 Royal Malta Artillery. They operated in a Transport Role. The Germans sometimes mistook `em for Gast Arbeiters which led to fights.

Hi qmauri, CSM Guy Watson was my father, I was a pads brat at the time living with my parents in Steinknappen Strasse when I wasn't attending Windsor Boys School at Hamm. In 1962, I joined up as a boy and trained at AAS Carlisle as a VM. My father taught my mother how to drive around the roads at Wrexham Barracks, and I would ride an old Zundapp moped around whilst this was going on. Must have made quite an impression as I still restore and ride motorcycles today. Dad sadly passed away whilst an in-pensioner at Chelsea in 2003.

I arrived wrexham barracks feb 1961. with about 14 other national servicemen. I think we were the lst N.S. to arrive. We were certainly the last to leave in 1963, after serving an extra six months. I played for the rugby team and drove platoon commander Barry Davies for some time.
I hve been in touch with a couple of guys who were there at the same time as me. Would be great to be in touch with more.

Hmmmm, an extra six months you say. How did that come about?

I think the suject of the extra six months ha been covered, don't you general ?
I know it happened, I did it, giving me two and a half years of joy ( I DONT THINK SO)

Wrexham barracks ( Mulhiem ) was home to 113 coy RASC then 13coy when I was there from Spring 1961 to Spring 1963 when I was there.

You could be right, Sergeant! Take charge and march off.

Well like so many other Regulars my six months extra duty with the Colours came courtesy of Col Adul Gamal Nasser who wanted the Suez Canal for his very own. Nothing worse than being out of the mob and packing on a few pounds and several inches around the gut, then get a little brown envelope via the local Bobby, asking politely to get my butt up to Colchester to join a bunch of equally out of shape reservist and the joys of the 2nd Btn, Scots Guards, 1st Guards Brigade, 3 Infantry Division on a jaunt to the Promised Land. Jesus, was it really 66 years ago.

Len (Ciphers)

Wow ......You were recalled aged 12???....That must be some sort of record...

Boy Soldier?

Nahhh !!! just can't add or subtract ... gotta be 56, and thats still older than some I can't mention cos its his birfday .. hope you have a good one son

Len (Ciphers)

Hello everyone, I am from Germany and this forum is my last chance to help my aunt searching for her boyhood friend Peter Philipps or Pete Philipps who was stationed at Wrexham Barracks in Mülheim an der Ruhr in Germany in the late 70s early 80s.His buddies names were Tucker, Terry, Alan... They often met in a pub called Fuchsbau or at the river Ruhr.My aunts name is Jutta and her friend's name was Petra.Jutta was 17 in 1979. Can anybody help and still has contact to Peter.If so please help and write. I could send pics as personal message.Thanks everybody. Kind regards

qmauri wrote:

I was posted to 114 Coy RASC(Gt) (Hy) in Sept 1958,my mate Eric Broome and I arrived at Wrexham Bks in the back of a 10 to Sudwerke driven by Paddy Ward.We were ex boys via 6 Trg Bn Yeovil, where we had been for 9 months.Eric went to 113 Coy,CSM Hellyer asked him,'ex boy',Eric replied  'yes', 'hard luck,we hate the little buggers here'.
Meanwhile I went into 114 Coy,CSM Stocks asked'ex boy''yes sir''great,we like ex boys here.Dont unpack your kit, were on execise tomorrow. The next week was spent at Leuth on the Dutch border near Venlo,where the Coy spent the week parked on top of one of the Luftwaffe's underground airdromes.,
I went into 'A' Pln, 2Lt Davies (later of football reporting fame on UK TV),Sgt Murphy and some names I remember,Ward,Carroll,Millburn
On promotion to Lcpl I went to HQ Pln, the vehicles;- VW Beetle OC, VW Bus,Austin Champs
Bedford TCV's,3/4 ton battery slave,BSA 500cc motorcycles(mine was built in 1943). I was promoted to Cpl and went back to A Pln, where I had a section of 5 Sudwerkes and Vidal trailers.25XG99 & 25XG95 were 2 of my 10 tonners I also had some 24XG's which were 8 tonners.Brian Peel was my 2i/c,Larry  Ames,Scouse Walsh,Masertelli,Barker
After a minor op in BMH Hostert in 1959 I was put into the Q Stores for 6 months light duties,CQMS Robinson, Johnny Matthews,Jimmy Strachan,Jackie Wiseman,Bob Nettleton were storemen but not all at the same time.
I married and lived in one room in a pub in Duisburg Wanheimerort, near the Barracks which housed the area REME Workshops and the BAOR ACC School.
Our OC was Maj Seager,CSM Stocks,Capt Williamson,Cpl Jack Randall,there were also 2 Welsh Cpls who only spoke Welsh together.Also CSM Williams,Sgt Nyazi
Our Coy relieved 65 Coy Berlin every year,they went to Berlin on Saturday and woke to find the wall had been built overnight,I went up 2 weeks later and on my way back,found the checkpoint at Helmstedt full of USA troops and vehicles that had been stopped from going to Berlin.
In 1961  we changed over to 10 ton Magiurez Deutz then we amalgamated with 113 Coy and became 13 Coy and changed our vehs yet again to 3 ton Bedford RL's carrying warheads for the USA.HQ Army Gp Tpt Column moved in,LtCol Wolfe,WOI Beardwell (the RSM used to leave his Sam Brown and pace stick in the guardroom for cleaning,which was chopped into 1 inch squares and matchsticks by Dvr Carson who was in the cells awaiting court marshall.)
CSM Watson,Bill Collins chief clerk,Sgts George Palin and Bob Leyland joined us from Air Despatch.
I did an NBC Course in UK, was promoted Sgt and became Provost Sgt,Qtr Guards,Court Marshalls.
In 1964  I was posted to Omagh NI as a recruiter.
I have quite a few photos which I will try to add

Really interesting this post!!!! I was in 113 Coy LAD from Mar 1957 until Dec. 1959. Don Helyer was a Great Guy!!!  CSM Stocks had a daughter whom many thought that I would marry. I was a single Sgt and enjoyed dancing! RSM Stappard was the RSM of 2 Inf. Div. Transport Column and he frowned on me dancing with any particular wife too many times. When 114 Coy came my problem was eased because I danced with her for most of the evening! I was Courting Jean at the time so there was no romantic element! I wed Jean in September 1957. If, after all this time, you are able to read this then may be you knew Sgt Binns of 114 Coy?

I arrived at Wrexham Barracks in March 1959 along with Keith Gundry and Dave Stanley they were both posted to LAD 113 Coy RASC and I went to LAD 114 Coy RASC GT HY. I was soon informed that I had the best posting because 113 LAD had to do guard duty. Whereas 114 Lad did the duty recovery for a large area. We had a large fleet of Mustang & Titan Sudwerka diesels as well as a 6 x 4 Scammel and a few Champs and one Austin 1 tonner. 113 was a very busy company and one of the pleasures of being a platoon fitter was the trips to Herentals and Grobendonk in Belgium to pick up supplies. Then back to Mulheim to split up and deliver them to all parts of Baor. 6 weeks in Berlin was also exciting when we replaced a company going out on their annual Scheme. I note that one of the previous correspondants Don Brockley was actually my room mate for a while until I was demobbed in November 1960. Incidentally our OC at the time was a Captain Sharpin and Q Hartley was our CQMS. He was a pigeon fancier and one of the jobs when I was learning to drive was to take his pigeons out with us down to the Mohne Dam and release them. So you can imagine there was plenty of driver training to be had.

Don Brockley wrote:

I arrived at Wrexham Bks in March 1960 to join 113 coy LAD REME-this was later to become 113Coy(GT HY) Workshops,REME.I was there until Aug 1961 when my National Service ended.
I am currently unearthing some old b&w negatives taken during my spell there and will be contributing these shorly.
I note a comment from D S Osborne on the website that 113 coy RASC operated Sudwerke trucks.
They were Krupp Sudwerke,2 models-Titan & Mustang.picures of which I hope to show later.

Were these photos ever posted?