Wilhelmshaven??

I'm a little surprised this is featured as a "miltary" location, I did go to Prince Ruperts School there, and I was a member of the CCF, so maybe

Jim, The PRS mainsite and later the Bonteheim, were "barracks" for the Royal Navy before the school took over the site. They were known (I think) as HMS Royal Rupert. There are some pics and an interview with one of the ratings in "PRS the Video".
John L

I think I heard that when I was at school there John,

Thanks

Jim - are you aware there is a Wilhelmshaven Association for ex pupils of the school? Also there is a reunion every couple of years in the UK for same. Maybe you already belong to TWA, they also put out a Cavalier newsletter 4 times a year. I was at PRS from 1951-1953, Howe House. There is a lot of British naval history to the site, and also German naval history.

Ooops, sorry Islandgirl, don't know how I missed this post. Yes I am in touch with a guy who is a member I hope to attend a reunion soon

John posted this fantastic video on youtube, I confess it brought a tear to my eye

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

As the individual who prompted our webmaster to include Wilhelmshaven on the the then list of BAOR Garrisons in the early years of this site perhaps I may respond.

Although there was a significant Royal Navy presence in the Dockyards in the 1945-47 era further research has confirmed that security in the town and surrounding countryside was an Army responsibility.

Army Units known to have been involved include
1st Polish Armoured Division including 1st Polish Parachute Brigade Summer 1945

4th Battalion The Canadian Scottish July 1945- March 1946

Logistic Units Den Danske Kommando March 1947- Autumn 1949

So far as Prince Rupert School is concerned
1. The school was named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine , the Commander of the Royalist Cavalry in the English Civil War.(It was a happy coincidence that the barracks was previously known as HMS ROYAL RUPERT)
2. Work to adapt the site as a School was carried out by RE Sappers not RN tradesmen.
3. The first Headmaster was a serving Army Officer when first appointed
4. BFES (and therefore the School) was funded through War Office (Army) sources for many years
5 The majority of pupils were Army children , reflecting the Army /RAF population of BAOR (the Royal Navy was always a small but important minority)

I have said enough, as a proud Old Boy of the rival King Alred School Ploen, I will don my tin hat, dive for cover and await the counter barrage

Jim

You might be amused to note that Steve and I have identified over 16 Army units who were based in Wilhelmshaven in the period May 1945- Spring 1947, indeed the Army Garrison who replaced the Polish Armoured Division, which included a British Anti Aircraft Brigade operating as Infantry in the IS Role, a Canadian Artillery Brigade with similar dismounted tasks and a Canadian Infantry Brigade was probably double the Royal Navy numbers in the period May 1945-March 1946

There is also a query elsewhere on this site regarding the origins of the name Isle of Man Barracks. I believe I have the definitive answer. 15 (Isle of Man) Light Anti Aircraft Regiment was an integral part of 7 Armoured Division throughout World War2 and was in the Hamburg area at the time of the German Surrender where it was to remain on occupation duties till late Autumn 1945 when it was disbanded. Its operational tasks and traditions were carried forward by the newly created 2 Light Anti Aicraft Regiment RA. In Spring 1946 there was a major redeployment of the future Regular Army Divisions who were to form the long term British Garrison Troops in Germany.

7 Armoured Division moved from the Hamburg area to the future Province of Lower Saxony and the Artillery units took over responsibilty for Friesland from the departing Canadians. 2 LAA Regiment moved to Wilhelmshaven to the former Ebkeriege Kaserne and renamed the complex after their former recruiting area. Ayear later the Danish Artillery Regiment moved into the Barracks and renamed the Barracks after St Barbara, the patron Saint of Gunners (amongst others)

Full details to follow in due course

Just to add to JPW's message we have both found that the Occupation of Germany from May 45 onwards is not very well recorded and the www and has many errors we are both working on documents from 1945 to 1949 and hope to put 21st Army Group later BAOR the Divisions + Brigades + Regiments in their locations...like Wilhelmshaven...full details to follow in due course!
Regards
Steve

Jim

To update you on the Army presence in Wilhelmshaven

Research continues in what is very much a team effort (my source documents are the relevent war diaries held in the National Archives in Kew),with Canadians contributors, Bob Ritter is the latest to join the team, and even the Stadt archivists who in exchange for details of the British units involved have provided me with the locations of Barracks.

I have now identified over 20 Army units (Canadian, Danish, Polish as well as British) who were based in the actual town in the period May 45-Autumn1948, there were more.

So far as PRS is concerned the main site had always been occupied by the Royal Navy (HMS Royal Rupert) but 27 Infantry BattalionRoyal Marines were briefly based in the Fliegerdeich in May 45, similarly a British Gunner Regiment and 105 Brigade Workshop REME were in the Bonteheim area throughout Summer 1945

Willhemshaven was therefore definitely an Army Garrison as well as a Royal Navy shore base, indeed I suspect in the period May 1945-Spring 1946 there were actually more soldiers than sailors based in the town

I don't recall seeing any soldier or sailors in Wilhelmshafen in my day? we did have a visit from HMS Daring whilst i was there, and we all took the chance to go swarming all over her.

Jim

The British, apart from your old school, had left Wilhelmshaven proper by the early 50s

The Danish Gunner Regiment left in Autumn 1949, the remnants of HMS Royal Rupert left the Bonteheim in 1950 enabling the site to be used as the third phase of the expansion of PRS to 600 plus pupils, similar to my old school King Alfred School Ploen.

In your time the nearest British units must have been RAF Jever and he Gunner Regiments in the Oldenburg area which formed 5 AGRA

jim wrote:

I'm a little surprised this is featured as a "miltary" location, I did go to Prince Ruperts School there, and I was a member of the CCF, so maybe

Jim, when were you at PRS? Ian.

I was there from '58 - '63 abouts ian, I was in Drake House on the fliegerdeich. (sp)

Jim,
I've tried uploading a couple of pics of Fliegerdeich and Bonteheim to the forum but it's too much for my tired old brain. If you know of a simple way, let me know and I'll try again.
Cheers
John

I think it's more by luck than judgement Jim, but the post above shows a pic of the Bonteheim when it was occupieid by the Navy. It had changed little by my time there apart from the flagpole was no longer there.

John

Nice pic John, if you want to email me the pics I'll upload them for you, i meant to ask, did the trains still run through Bontaheim? I can recall seeing carriages but I'm not sure if they were just left there or were actual rolling stock

Thanks Jim, but I think I've cracked it. The secret is not to follow the instructions but blindly press keys until it works!!
Although there was a rail line on the Bonteheim quayside (where we played cricket), I don't ever recall seeing any run trains on it. It's all changed now of course with no trains and no Bonteheim barrack block.

I'll try and post the Fliegerdeich pic later plus another Bonteheim one that shows a destroyer and Canadian soldiers.

Jal, when you get them posted do you mind if I save them to my laptop?

I have some PRS photo's as well, I'll have to get them scanned in.

Jim,
This is the pic of the Canadians at the Bonteheim. I'll emal some others to you.

John

JAL/Jim
An interesting shot of the Canadians, must have been taken in the period Summer 45-Spring 46 when the Canadian Gunner Regiments were based in the outskirts of Wilhemshaven.

Regarding the railway lines, in the very early days of PRS the school train actually drew up alongside the main school site (I have seen a photo held by the Wilhemshaven Association archivist).

I believe the majority of the dockyard railway tracks were dismantled by the early50s as part of the Operation Eclipse to dismantle the naval facilities in Wilhemshaven

JPW wrote:

JAL/Jim
An interesting shot of the Canadians, must have been taken in the period Summer 45-Spring 46 when the Canadian Gunner Regiments were based in the outskirts of Wilhemshaven.

Regarding the railway lines, in the very early days of PRS the school train actually drew up alongside the main school site (I have seen a photo held by the Wilhemshaven Association archivist).

I believe the majority of the dockyard railway tracks were dismantled by the early50s as part of the Operation Eclipse to dismantle the naval facilities in Wilhemshaven

JPW,
just a small correction on this one. In the early days (1947), the school trains actually came into the school site and not alongside it. Not sure when they started using the tracks alongside the main site but they were certainly in use when I arrived there in '56 and still being used when I left in '59.
Somewhere amongst the school memorabilia, is a photo of the train inside the site and when I find it, I'll post it.

The Canadian pic came from the following website, which may be of interest:

http://jproc.ca/iroquois/g89_wilhelmshaven.html

John

Here you go JPW, the pic of the school train inside the mainsite, circa '47.
Incidentally, the train lines Jim mentioned where those running along the quayside at the Bonteheim site (was occupied by RN before the school) and the school trains certainly never got that far!

John

A friend of mine from AAS Harrogate went to PRS, joining straight from there to Harrogate in 1949 aged 14 & half. His name Brian Cleaver.