Yorkshire Barracks - Looking for Info & images

Hi,

I'm curious if anyone has access to additional information regarding the former Yorkshire Barracks in Brunswick.

I'm writing from Germany on behalf of my employers. We're involved in cultural heritage management - usually assessment of damages to historical buildings and formulating recommendations regarding the maintenance and preservation of significant historical/cultural sites.

Right now we're tasked with research regarding a former Command site of the Luftwaffe, Luftflottenkommando 2 in Brunswick/Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. While most of the buildings house a school today, the one of interest to us serves as the city's labor court house. Specifically, we have been asked to find out whether or not a wall adjacent to the building was topped by a fence during or just after the building's construction.

As these facilities were used as the Yorkshire Barracks after the war, I was curious of perhaps photos taken by BOAR servicemen during this period happened to display our area of interest.

It is a long shot, I realize.

I'm attaching an aerial photograph on which the section of wall is marked in red. We've found a higher resolution version of it and were able to view aerial photographs in an archive which were helpful, but if a ground level photograph of this element exists, it would be ideal.

Additionally, we are not even certain this particular building was used by the British military - it was part of the Luftflottenkommando, but I've found no confirmation of its use immediately after the war.

Any help would be appreciated, even just pointing me towards another possible source of post-war images.

Welcome

Can expand on the current detail available on the website (now locked), on 10 July 1945 Luftlotte Kaserne later Yorkshire Barracks was occupied by the Headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division, on 15 Jan 48 with the rundown of BAOR the division became none operational, then units became part of Hannover District established at Trenchard Barracks in Celle.

Best of luck with your research

An interesting challenge - the US Army got there first of course! (Massive bombing raid on 15 Oct 44) but they got on the ground:

http://www.oldhickory30th.com/BschweigFallMap1.jpg

http://www.oldhickory30th.com/BraunschweigFall.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXxi51pibpE

Though they may try to hide a light under the bushel - the Staatl. Bauamt will have had drawings of all the premises during Wehrmacht /Kriegsmarine use and would resume their Estate duties a short time in to the occupation (they knew where gas, sewage, water and electricity lines ran) to advise MPBW and CCG (BE)* and then maintained close records during the occupation of what the British added or subtracted. Germans are meticulous record keepers and the Staatl. Bauamt should know where drawing maps and photos are stored. a trip into extensive archive cellars assured - Staatl. Bau would have supervised the most recent modernisation to the current splendour!

Grunewwald strasse is where :
http://www.amaot.info/orte/orte14.ht]



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*CCG(BE) were in Charles Barracks Brunswick, but the building being researched was an Arbeitsgericht - Labour Court - set out in the fashion - with CCG propensity for looking for useful training models, having a fleet of up-market vehicles needing Kms on the clock, and a
desire to re-educated the administration - likely they snaffled the premises. ( But finding CCG records? (the best source is probably the
US National Archive in Washington - like the Germans they kept everything) [An American admin foible is to have two copies of your incoming letter and to write their answer on the back of one of those letters being sent back to you with their DoD File Reference - a universal filing register system] ) Thus Staatl. Bauamt or former Bundeswehr Standortverwaltung (Garrison admin on takeover Board?) has to be an answer.

Very true, there was a case of a barracks in Bielefeld handed back to the Stadt. The representative from Stadt Bielefeld, whose responsibility it was to check the original inventories, enquired as to the whereabouts of the grand piano that occupied pride of place in the Officers Mess.

The sense of humour failure that will accompany the noted deficiency of the enormous Commander's desk (and cocktail cabinet in-built, with secret compartments) from a large Barracks in Paderborn - seem to remember a Shelldrake was seen polishing it, and counting bottles/marking labels. Damn thing was too large for any one offrs`s MFO! Worse there are handshake photo's of dignitaries - . . .

Glad my appearance in that office, without belt or beret, is not on film - but there are memories, I was framed - a plot to stop the rooty gong.

Hi, Back to topic. I was there as a schoolboy 1956/57. The building in question was a NAAFI families shop serving mainly the east surrey regiment stationed at Charles Bks Brunswick. In addition shopping families were bussed in from Wolfenbüttel with its Hussar and Lancer regiments. I thought the NAAFI was a onetime storage facility because could only be accessed over a loading ramp.- Our weekly rations were also drawn from this building, in those days we were not supposed to buy many goods off the german market, so as not to shorten the supply situation. Army pay was mainly issued in BAAFS, so we had to purchase through NAAFI. The adjacent main complex was Brunswick Primary school, with British kids coming in from Helmstedt, Brunswick and Wolfenbüttel. The space between the buildings was our playground. Both buildings were not on the same level. One day an Army truck , a Dodge Commer , delivering coal/coke as bunker fuel slipped over a precipice about 5ft high and lost its load. This might be the wall in question. RJB writing from Hameln