Berlin Train Final trip

I still have a bottle of the "Berliner" claret from the final train trip given to me by Lt Col Mike Rust, CO 24 Tpt & Mov Regt RLC, at that time I was with 63 Sta Wksp in Hannover. I doubt if the wine is still drinkable but it makes for a good conversation piece

Hi all,

Interesting history of this train.

In 1951, I remember the train guard duties were drawn from a transit camp in Hannover [I cant remember where this was in Hannover?] They joined the train in Hannover.
The guard comprised army lads who had just arrived from UK and were waiting for a BAOR unit posting; trying to remember how many at least 12 but could have been as many as 20 men?
They were required to stand by all doors that were opened, so may have been more than 20? When the train stopped anywhere, if at a station, they faced Russians fully armed.
Would have been difficult to use your 303 rifle in that confined area!
These were in addition to the regular train operating staff Royal Engineers.

A couple of MP's were on duty at Hannover railway station to check people going on or attempting to join this train.

Keep those memories coming, before they are lost forever, and need to be recorded.

Regards
Tony

As an army brat Berlin was our last ever posting, My dad who was ACWO for berlin worked on that last train.

i travelled on train from hanover to west berlin the day the russians invaded chequslvakia i think it was 21 august 1968,i was straight from training as a sapper i could not believe it when a waiter came into compartment and said dinner is served everyone got treated the same. when we had travelled a good way we could see convoys of tanks and trucks a seargent in same compartment said when we get to berlin say that we were asleep all the way. i never found out why. it was the best posting. apart from the rocking horses at 3am when we were drunk. i attended the berlin tatto it was our job to change colour filters on the spotlight, people kept passing us drinks i know i ended up in an raf mess next morning. and transported back to barracks. one other thing comes to mind we had to sign in and out of camp when we were in civies.i was at smuts bks RE and the 9-12 royal lancers i think.

I well remember the invasion of Checkoslavakia. We heard about it on the radio in barracks as we got up. Went to breakfast and looked at the hills in the east towards the rising sun and wondered if this was IT. This was in Fort Prince of Wales in Deilinghofen Germany.

In softer times, 1959, the train to Berlin carried some personnel off on their holidays. The British authorities wished to maintain the status of Berlin as a Four Power city, ie the responsibility of USA, USSR, UK and France. As part of this, British personnel were encouraged to visit East Berlin as tourists in uniform. I spent a happy week in Berlin in 1959, with free travel on the train and somewhere to stay in an army billet ( I cannot remember where). I visited several places in the Eastern sector. The East had all the best museums or so it seemed.
I do not know whether these trips were open to everyone. Does anyone know anything about this policy?
Best wishes from 'Locating'.

I was train guard commander a couple of days after the air lift finished. coming back after Uk leave we were grabbed off the station
and given a rifle and a bandolier of 50 rounds. The O/C train was a RAF officer who was as nervous as hell and turned us out every time the train slowed down.The only perk was we got sleepers.
bob

I was a young rifleman just out of training when i was posted to berlin, Wavell bks, the frist duty i pulled was the berlin m train, I can remerber stopping at a stn in the corridor and passing mags and swopping cap badges with the ruskies, I had a great time in berlin best posting I had.
regards Tess

hi there,
I did the train guard once,what a great experience.......plus saw the bars and strip clubs in Brunswick whilst we waited for the return journey !!
Memories I'll never forget.
atb
pinky
HUSSAR

Interesting to note that the final train journey from Berlin did not contain any other ranks only officers and some important civvies.Who says class distinction does not exist in the army?

rucjock21 wrote:

Interesting to note that the final train journey from Berlin did not contain any other ranks only officers and some important civvies.Who says class distinction does not exist in the army?

What, no steward service!!! Demded bed show, What!! Harumph.

locating wrote:

In softer times, 1959, the train to Berlin carried some personnel off on their holidays. The British authorities wished to maintain the status of Berlin as a Four Power city, ie the responsibility of USA, USSR, UK and France. As part of this, British personnel were encouraged to visit East Berlin as tourists in uniform. I spent a happy week in Berlin in 1959, with free travel on the train and somewhere to stay in an army billet ( I cannot remember where). I visited several places in the Eastern sector. The East had all the best museums or so it seemed.
I do not know whether these trips were open to everyone. Does anyone know anything about this policy?
Best wishes from 'Locating'.

Canadians could go, but we were only allowed to fly in. Our govt was afraid of up setting the East Germans or Russians. Cdn govt has always been good snivlers.