John Bell -- It would appear your first living in Iserlohn overlapped with mine. My parents and I lived on Am Tyrol (#7, as I recall) when Dad was completing the Canadian close-out and transferring properties etc. to BAOR. That was 71-72.

Prior to that we lived in Soest PMQs (70-71) and before that he was stationed in Hemer (well, actually, in Iserlohn, at Fort Qu'Appelle) and we lived in a couple of villages out past the Hoennetal (stayed with German friends in Balve initially while Dad tried to find housing, then in two little rooms in a family home in Mellen, and finally a comfortable upstairs flat in Beckum (the town, not the city)).

Where in Iserlohn do you live now?

It was interesting to read that the former BMH site is now a posh boarding school; I wasn't aware of that...I thought it was some sort of technical college or some such. That some of the buildings on the site have since been demolished doesn't surprise me, however. Sad, but time marches on. At least the site wasn't allowed to go derelict, as so many of the former sites have been allowed to do throughout the old Canadian Brigade Area, BAOR, and down in Lahr.

I wasn't aware of the Krankenfolk club. I am aware of a fairly strong jazz tradition occurring in Iserlohn, however.

I have seen pictures of the A46 bridge over the Seilersee...ugly bloody thing! And had heard A46 ends once you cross the bridge, which is a bit odd. I suppose The Powers That Be are as idiotic in Iserlohn and/or Westphalia as anywhere else! LOL

Hi Stephen,
maybe our paths did cross. I lived in Dürer str from June 72.I now live opposite the Schauberg.You would not recognise it today as it has been restored to its former glory and is now used for functions.
You were right there were rock bands playing there in 1971/1972 but not in the old cinema. They played in the cellar that was rented by the stadt Iserlohn and became Iserlohn`s first Youth centre.I am presently researching the history of the Youth centre.
Steve is partly right.The plan is to connect up with the A46 in Arnsberg but there is still stiff opposition as some of the land the motorway is planned to be built on is enviromentaly senstive.It has taken the authorities since 1974 to come up with the present plan and i have my doubts that the 2012 plan will be implimented.
The folk club Krankenfolk was in the 1st floor of the NAFFI block and was very well attended.It started in March 1974
There is still a Jazz club in Iserlohn the "Hot club" and they still put on regular events.

I was 19 at the time and was working in the BMH cookhouse.I did go to the Hemer youth club a couple of times but the Bay city "teenies"were not my cup of tea.I prefered to have a few beers in the "Windschief" pub where the Brits used to drink.The pub is long gone and a Greek restaurant is now there.
It was in the Windschief where i first can into contact with Germans of my own age and who took me under their wing and took me to the Schauberg.There i got to meet lots of other Germans of my age and soon made lots of friends as i was one of a few Brits there and they all wanted to practice their English with me.I am still friends with some of the people i meet there at the time.
I think you miss understood what wrote about the A 46.The bridge over the Seilersee was built in 73-74 and opened for use then.The motorway ended once you went over the bridge and the car were directed back onto the B7 that lead to Hemer and Menden. As Steve wrote the extention of the motorway from the Seilersee is provisional planned to start in 2012.

john,what was the proper name of the pub we called the"new bar"up that little hill by bmh.fell down that hill on more than one ocaision...graham.

"Bay city 'teenies'...LOL...yes, that is quite true.

I also very quickly moved on from hanging out at the youth club to chumming around with a couple of the older lads (Noel, who worked at Hemer NAAFI and was President of the Youth Club, and his best mate...whose name I have forgotten, but who had been a former President as well...both skinhead lads and Irish Ranger sons).

That led off to a bunch of us traipsing off to various pubs. Our favourite, as mentioned elsewhere, being Katz, located down in the industrial area in Stephanopel, located enroute to Deilinghofen, down in the valley. How they ever found the place, I have no idea! It was a good 20 minute walk from the MQ area.

I have a not so pleasant memory of BMH Iserlohn.
While attached to 22 Lt AD Regt RA in Dortmund, my wife went into labour........and a rapid trip to the hospital followed.
Unfortunatly my first born daughter only lived a few hours. I was on Ireland training at the time and arrived too late at the hospital to see her.

Whilst with my Father (Northamptonshire Regt) at Dortmund around 1959, I got injured playing football and was admitted to BMH Iserlohn, I recollect there were British and Canadian Medical/Nursing staff there, I recollect drinking Ferguzade, was that the Canadian equivalent of Lucozade?

Anyway I survived and went back to the British Forces School, Windsor Boys School, Hamm.

I know there is a HUGE U.S. Forces Hospital, near Frankfurt as US and Australian casualties from Afghanistan are transported there. Would the British forces in Afghanistan use the U.S. facility or would they be flown straight to UK? or a BMH in Germany?

As far as i know they come straight to the UK.

I lived in Hemer and was the medical sergeant in charge of casualty and reception at the BMH from 1976 to 1978. I wrote a book about the funny incidents I got myself into while in the army from 1956 – 1981. In the book are 20 pages of my time in Germany from 29 field Ambulance and BMH Iserlohn

Here is a snippet I placed on the Hemer NAAFI notice board, which will give you some idea of what the book is about.

For sale one crate of Herforder Pils at 1,250 deutschemarks or nearest offer. The crate is locked in the boot of a 1965 green V.W. beetle. The purchaser of the crate of beer can have the car for nothing.

Silky

[quote="John A Silkstone"]I lived in Hemer and was the medical sergeant in charge of casualty and reception at the BMH from 1976 to 1978.

I lived off Berliner Str., Hemer in the '70s.

Our neighbour worked in BMH Iserlohn, he died of a cardiac arrest. I think his name was Ted Williams-Smith.

Did you know him ?

Hi Brum, though you say the 70s I’m assuming that you mean the same time as I was there.

That was over 33 years ago and as you can imagine hundreds of people passed through our department per month, so attempting to remember one name of someone you didn’t know isn’t feasible.

The other thing is that anyone brought in with heart trouble would have gone straight to the wards, by passing my department and I would have sent one of the lads up to the ward to fill in the necessary documentation.

Sorry I can’t help.

Silky