Soest NAAFI Demolished

I just learned a couple of weeks ago the old Soest NAAFI (CLFEX during the Canadian era) on the corner of Canadischer Weg across from the heating plant has been demolished.

While certainly not an architectural gem by any stretch of the imagination, it did house memories for thousands of Canadian, British, and Belgian soldiers and their familes in the 50-odd years it stood.

I believe at least part of it was converted to some sort of garden centre (the south end of it) and I suspect the rest of it continued to be used as a grocery. I have no idea what will be built on the site.

Speaking of demolitions in the old Married Quarter area...many of you may remember the Milch Bar, also known as Paddy's, the small gasthof/pub located in the row of shops along Canadischer Weg which backed on to the school (formerly Soest High School under the Canadians and then passed off to the Belgians who also used it as a secondary school. I have no idea if it is still being used as a school for German civilian kids, but I would assume it would be). This strip of shops, and the Milch Bar/Paddy's, were demolished some years ago.

As an aside...when I lived and worked in Soest circa 1973-74 I spent quite a bit of time with the Ivory family in the Married Quarters and often shopped at the NAAFI for certain familiar basics (even though, technically, I wasn't really supposed to as I was no longer an army 'dependent').

This was the era when "streaking" was first gaining...dare I say "favour?"

Being an adventurous youth of 19 or 20 I thought it would be bit of lark to streak the NAAFI, so one fine day I ambled into the NAAFI carrying a small overnight bag, slipped into the biffy just off the main concourse, stripped down to my socks and Adidas and, taking a deep breath, yanked open the door, let out a loud yell of "Streeeeeker!" and dashed through the concourse and out the door.

Thing is, I had made absolutely no plans whatsoever of where to go once I got outside! I mean, it wasn't like I could duck in behind some bushes and pull my pants and shirt back on without anyone taking notice. I headed for one of the married quarter buildings across from NAAFI, the ones that faced at right angles to it, up the street a bit, hoping I would not run smack into anyone exiting the building. Luckily, I was able to sprint inside, race up the 3 flights of stairs to the top and get dressed without being seen.

As I looked out the landing window I could see a fair bit of commotion occurring over in front of the NAAFI. I decided to wander over and thank heavens nobody recognized me as The Streaker!

I even received a write-up in the NAAFI newsletter where one housewife was quoted as saying she looked at me, looked at the sausage she had just bought for tea, and back at me and was quoted as saying something along the lines of how inadequate her sausage looked after that! LOL

Flattering, of course, but hardly accurate....I mean, it was a bit chilly and I was quite nervous!! If you catch my drift....

My mother back in Canada, when I wrote her about my escapade, was far from impressed!!!

Oh, and it was always assumed it had been a Belgique soldier who streaked the NAAFI LOL

I remember the Milch Bar because the sign outside said "Milch Bar" but it was known as Paddies. As Kids we were warned to keep away from it but it did have a Pinball table so we used to go in anyway.We moved to Soest in summer 1977 as 3 Div was being formed, my Dad was briefly stationed in Hildesheim for a few months before the move whereas we moved in from the relative luxury of RAF Wildenrath.I remember when we arrived on "the Patch" with our nice Volvo estate and caravan as the entire street stood on their balconies to watch us unload.Turns out the majority of residents were from 16 LAD probably the roughest regt I have ever come across,first few nights I lay in bed kept awake by the sound of breaking glass and bottles and the drunks returning home from Paddies and the other bars in the area. About 2 days later we did a quick shopping spree in the Naafi, loaded up the caravan and headed off to the north sea coast for a few weeks leaving 16 LAD to dismembark to Larkhill.We still had big Canadian fridges in the quarters and a wire mesh inside the windows(sort of like an additional set of windows but with mesh instead of glass)

I lived just around the corner from the NAAFI in the mid to late 80s, many memories. The whole housing estate is now a bit of a ghetto for multinationals, Russian, Turkisch etc. I dont go near the place if I can help it these days.

steve_graham wrote:

I remember the Milch Bar because the sign outside said "Milch Bar" but it was known as Paddies. As Kids we were warned to keep away from it but it did have a Pinball table so we used to go in anyway.We moved to Soest in summer 1977 as 3 Div was being formed, my Dad was briefly stationed in Hildesheim for a few months before the move whereas we moved in from the relative luxury of RAF Wildenrath.I remember when we arrived on "the Patch" with our nice Volvo estate and caravan as the entire street stood on their balconies to watch us unload.Turns out the majority of residents were from 16 LAD probably the roughest regt I have ever come across,first few nights I lay in bed kept awake by the sound of breaking glass and bottles and the drunks returning home from Paddies and the other bars in the area. About 2 days later we did a quick shopping spree in the Naafi, loaded up the caravan and headed off to the north sea coast for a few weeks leaving 16 LAD to dismembark to Larkhill.We still had big Canadian fridges in the quarters and a wire mesh inside the windows(sort of like an additional set of windows but with mesh instead of glass)

Ehehehehe...yes, us Canadian teens were likewise warned not to frequent Paddies although some of the braver ones did. Thing is, it was far too easy to get caught given someone who knew our parents would inevitably see us going in or actually come in themselves and catch us. Paddy himself was a gruff old soul, but nice enough. His daughter also worked the bar. Most of those who hung out there were young soldiers, bored, etc.

When the Canadians pulled out of Soest and my family and I were, as part of my father's duty to close out the remaining old brigade area, living in Iserlohn (1971-72), I would go up to Soest about once a month to see a close German buddy of mine and also a British fellow, Bill Black, whose father was a British Major attached to the Canadian Army when it was still there. I'm not quite sure what Major Black's role was, to be honest.

The three of us, along with Bill's mate, often hung out at Paddies before taking off downtown.

When I returned to work in Soest from Calgary Canada in 1973 I got a lift from some friends of friends of my parents who drove me to Soest from Lahr and dropped me off in front of my German friend's parents flat over on Fechtenkamp, just east of Hiddingser Weg and the Soest MQs. Juergen was not at home and I took the chance he was over at Paddies, which he was!! We closed the place, as usual LOL

Shep wrote:

I lived just around the corner from the NAAFI in the mid to late 80s, many memories. The whole housing estate is now a bit of a ghetto for multinationals, Russian, Turkisch etc. I dont go near the place if I can help it these days.

Where abouts did you live, Shep? My parents and I also lived "just around the corner" from the CLFEX (later NAAFI) at 10-A Kanadischer Weg, right smack behind the heating plant. Lovely view At least it was within sprinting distance of the Teen Hut which was in a Quonset Hut across from the heating plant and in behind Paddies/Der Milch Bar where I spent much of my time (at the Teen Hut, I mean...not Paddies [see message above]). From there it was easy to find a group heading off to one of the gasthofs downtown.

I understand the PMQs in both Hemer and Soest are now "social housing" although the last set of pics I saw of the Soest PMQs, they looked fairly well-maintained and not terribly different from when the Canadians were there. Such was not the fate of the Hemer PMQs, which looked very ratty.

There seems to be a mixture of housing on the estate , some is social housing or privately rented. The two storey 4 bedroomed places seem to be availalable for purchase and it seems many are in private hands as these are always better cared for than the 3 storey blocks. I think 80,000 euros would get you our old place Engernweg 2A. I think there is even an Estate Agents office where the old QMs office was

The first time I was in Paddies there was a US serviceman explaining how he got a question wrong on his US Army entrance exam. The question was "What shape do you associate Pi with?" and he answered "Square because in Texas/Alabama all pies are square". IO think that would have been around November 1977

steve_graham wrote:

There seems to be a mixture of housing on the estate , some is social housing or privately rented. The two storey 4 bedroomed places seem to be availalable for purchase and it seems many are in private hands as these are always better cared for than the 3 storey blocks. I think 80,000 euros would get you our old place Engernweg 2A. I think there is even an Estate Agents office where the old QMs office was

I believe you are right, Steve...during one of my surfings around the Net entering every configuration I could think of for "Soest" I came across a real estate site. A few of the old PMQs were featured, which I thought to be very cool, and they were selling for 80,000 to 90,000 euros, a tad steep but cheaper than the half-timbered re-dos downtown some of which were going for 120,000!!!

I lived in one of the two storeys along Kanadischer Weg, but the flats in there, while nice, were only two bedroom. I seem to recall the 4-storey ones had at least three if not four, but then some of the ones in behind the NAAFI on St. Lorenz Weg (?)...the cul-de-sac behind NAAFI...were 3 and four bedroom. I can't at the moment visualize if these were 2 or 4 storey. I do know some of the ones along Konrad what-ever-it-was Weg, the street running in front of the old Soest High School (the Belgique school when you lot were all there) were 4-storey, however. And some of the ones at the top of the PMQs, at the south end, but I rarely got that far up LOL I mean, those were the PMQ suburbs!!

All in all, the flats were pretty okay (apart from the dark green linoleum, but actually one got used to that) and nicely laid out, comfortable, cool and shady or at least ours was. I'd live in one again!

steve_graham wrote:

The first time I was in Paddies there was a US serviceman explaining how he got a question wrong on his US Army entrance exam. The question was "What shape do you associate Pi with?" and he answered "Square because in Texas/Alabama all pies are square". IO think that would have been around November 1977

Ehehehehe....not the brightest bulb in the package, was he?

There was a small American missle/radar detachment just outside Soest which I believe was still there after the Canadians pulled out. They even had a small American married quarter area, east of the Canadian ones but I was never quite sure where....one would periodically run into a young American service man out in the bars but they didn't associate much with us, oddly enough. Some of the American kids did, however, attend Soest Senior High.

There was a missile detachment there in the 80's. I believe it was a German unit, but because the missile still belonged to the Americans they had a prescence there. When I was with 11 Armd Wksp we went up to a show there one time after there had been some trouble between some of our guys and the Americans. A bit of peace brokering I think.

andy1400 wrote:

There was a missile detachment there in the 80's. I believe it was a German unit, but because the missile still belonged to the Americans they had a prescence there. When I was with 11 Armd Wksp we went up to a show there one time after there had been some trouble between some of our guys and the Americans. A bit of peace brokering I think.

Yes, as I now recall I think the missile detachment was German but manned by the Americans, at least in part.

I am not sure when the Americans pulled out...if they were still there in the 1980's then they certainly outlasted us Canadians.

I am not sure when their presence in Soest was established but I do know they were well-established, enough to have families with them, by 1971 when I was in Soest.

spent 2 years in soest in early 80"s,i was the foodhall manager in the NAAFI there.i lived in ruploher weg.it was a great place to live and work,enjoyed my time there but on the whole HEMER was my best german posting..though sardinia had the best weather...while in soest i played football in a german business league for the B.V.AMT who were the landlords for the M.Q"s responsible for the upkeep of the buildings..happy days...graham...

Was the NAAFI the old MLS shopping centre during the Canadian Brigade days? I remember the old Milch Bar well, but the name Paddy's must have come after the Canadians left in the early 70s. Many glasses of Dortmunder Union consumed, especially by PMQ residents. Sorry to see these old "memory posts" disappearing, but there's a beginning and an end to everything, I guess.

yes the NAAFI was the old MLS shopping centre,i worked ther and the MLS site in hemer ,in both places there was bits and pieces of maple leaf paperwork still there...graham..

Thanks, Graham. That seemed the logical way of doing it since it was a fairly good building. Now can anyone shed light on the two MLS clubs for ORs in Soest and Hemer, named respectively the Red Patch Club and Club Castor? (The Red Patch referred to our 1st Division patch while the other was French for beaver, our national rodent if you will. This was to honour our bilingual culture in Canada.)
Further to the Soest Milch Bar or 'Paddy's", there was an identical pub in the Werl PMQs that was known somewhat universally as 'Mama's". I haven't the faintest idea why, because I never saw anyone in the place that would have conjured up the most cursory image of anyone's mother, no matter how high their homeshick index may have been. Cheers all.
Roderick

recce83 wrote:

Was the NAAFI the old MLS shopping centre during the Canadian Brigade days? I remember the old Milch Bar well, but the name Paddy's must have come after the Canadians left in the early 70s. Many glasses of Dortmunder Union consumed, especially by PMQ residents. Sorry to see these old "memory posts" disappearing, but there's a beginning and an end to everything, I guess.

I'm pretty sure the Milch Bar was known as Paddy's even while the Canadians were in residence. Paddy, of course, was the old codger who owned the place (although, being 55 myself now, I realize he probably wasn't all that old). His daughter managed the place and worked behind the bar. Nice woman.

I don't recall Dortmunder Union being sold there, however. It may well have been, but as I recall my buddy and I always drank Warsteiner.

Most gasthofs were either brewery owned/franchised or the publican had an arrangement with a particular brewery, so gasthofs tended to be 'single brew' establishments; Veltins at that one, Isenbeck's at that one, Warsteiner over there, and Dortmunder Union over here.

In fact, one Canadian teen favourite on Hiddingser Weg, across from the Belgique Kaserne, was a gasthof we all called Isenbeck's. The actual name of the gasthof was Zum Linden. It is now a veterinary clinic.

When I returned to Canada at the age of 18, one of the things that 'threw me' was not just the sheer size of drinking establishments (at the time the Alberta provincial system did not allow for small neighbourhood pubs. Most taverns were huge beer barns located in hotels, brightly lit, and no atmosphere. One could not even stand holding a beer let alone walk around with one! That's changed now, thank goodness), but that all brands of beer were available in one establishment, along with the plonk that passed for draught beer at the time (horse piss, actually...vile stuff).

My friends, those that had not grown up in Germany at any rate, thought it bizarre that pubs only served ONE brand of beer each.

recce83 wrote:

Thanks, Graham. That seemed the logical way of doing it since it was a fairly good building. Now can anyone shed light on the two MLS clubs for ORs in Soest and Hemer, named respectively the Red Patch Club and Club Castor? (The Red Patch referred to our 1st Division patch while the other was French for beaver, our national rodent if you will. This was to honour our bilingual culture in Canada.)

I don't recall Club Castor ("national rodent, indeed!! LOL What will our British compatriots think?), but I do recall the Red Patch.

When I was back working in Soest in 1973 I tried, in vain, to find the location of it. I did attend a few events there with my parents but I could no longer recall where it was located. I could see it in my mind's eye, of course, easily and remember it was buried somewhere down a winding little street in the old city, close to the city wall, but that's it.

The Red Patch Club was a slightly more "upscale" version of the various Messes and did not, as I recall, carry the same restrictions re who could attend as the Messes did. I wasn't aware the Red Patch was run by MLS, though (or CANEX?).

Anyone remember the Salvation Army canteen on Bruederstrasse in Soest?

recce83 wrote:

Further to the Soest Milch Bar or 'Paddy's", there was an identical pub in the Werl PMQs that was known somewhat universally as 'Mama's". I haven't the faintest idea why, because I never saw anyone in the place that would have conjured up the most cursory image of anyone's mother, no matter how high their homeshick index may have been. Cheers all.
Roderick

I think every PMQ had such a place. In Hemer it was Little Canada, right across from the High School and a total little dive! Unna had one too, but I forget the name.

I didn't know Mama's...for us in Soest, "Mama's" was the little hole-in-the-wall schnell-imbiss and window kiosk down the road from the heating plant and across from the back end of the school. Still there, apparently, although now Turkish owned, as I understand it.

I remember the Soest NAAFI well. I lived in Ruploher Weg 12b from 1977-80 although I continued to live in other places in Soest until 1989. My final flat was above the Salvation Army shop, opposite the Belgian School and just along from the 'Schnelly / Bratty Stand'. I worked in Sebastian Barracks in the Cookhouse as kitchen hand and for the final years, in the Sgts. Mess as Chef and remember many a cold morning (-15c in Winter), waiting outside the NAAFI at 6am for the transport to come and pick up us 'civvy' staff who worked in the camp. On many occations, the transport was late and we would take turns to go to the phone box just round the corner from the NAAFI entrance to call the MT section in camp and find out why the transport was late. I had many good memories of British and German friends I met and have many a happy memory of living and working in Soest!

Steven Sheridan wrote:

I remember the Soest NAAFI well. I lived in Ruploher Weg 12b from 1977-80 although I continued to live in other places in Soest until 1989. My final flat was above the Salvation Army shop, opposite the Belgian School and just along from the 'Schnelly / Bratty Stand'. I worked in Sebastian Barracks in the Cookhouse as kitchen hand and for the final years, in the Sgts. Mess as Chef and remember many a cold morning (-15c in Winter), waiting outside the NAAFI at 6am for the transport to come and pick up us 'civvy' staff who worked in the camp. On many occations, the transport was late and we would take turns to go to the phone box just round the corner from the NAAFI entrance to call the MT section in camp and find out why the transport was late. I had many good memories of British and German friends I met and have many a happy memory of living and w
orking in Soest!

who did your father serve with

I remember the bunch of flats up above the shops and the schnell-imbiss over behind what, by your time Steven the Belgian School (formerly the Canadian Jr. and Sr. High School) quite well. Those of us who used to meet over at the Teen Hut (a Quonset Hut, demolished in 1972 to make way for the Belgian School Annex) and then head off downtown to the various gasthofs and discos took our route through the breezeway under those flats.

Oddly, I don't ever recall any Canadians living up in them....or anyone else for that matter although clearly people did. If they were German, which doubtlessly they were, they absolutely did not mix with us whatsoever. Given the proximity to our Married Quarters, surrounded by them in fact, not seeing anyone ever coming and going out of those flats is odd, but then as a teenager in Soest, those series of flats there were just "there" and not really part of our lives. I don't imagine they were very large either...a couple of rooms, perhaps?

Re the phone box just around the corner from the NAAFI entrance....hmmmm. I don't recall a phone box being there during the Canadian era (and I lived across the street from what was then CANEX at 10-A Kanadischer Weg, right smack dab behind the heating plant). Nobody had phones back then and really no need for them.

It wasn't until my dad, one of 3 Canadian military personnel to remain behind in the old Brigade Area circa 1972 to complete the Close-Out, and family lived in Iserlohn that Dad pulled some strings -- or had strings pulled for him -- and we got a phone installed since he would need it for business. My...didn't we think we'd "arrived"!!!

When I returned to Soest in 1973-74 and lived up on Lendringser Weg not far from the Married Quarters I spent considerable time with a couple of families -- the Ivory family who were my adopted family and Yvonne and Brian Potts, who lived up above the ambulance corp over on...oh gosh....St. Lorenz Weg? The street that went directly in front of the school (what you all would know as the Belgian School), right at the west end of Kanadischer Weg....

I also shopped, even though technically I was not supposed to, at NAAFI and, again, I don't recall a phone box but then if I had no need for such a contraption (grin) I wouldn't have paid particular attention to the presence of one either.

I've read your posts with great interest in regards to some of the installations at Soest. My grandfather was stationed there with the Canadian Guards. As I'm in Germany for a couple of weeks on deployment with the Canadian Forces, I'm travelling to Soest to look back on some fond family history. My mother had mentioned that the Red Patch club was a place he went often, so I'll do my best to find out about it. I will be taking a guided tour through Soest, so hopefully some light can be shed on this once vibrant spot (Not to mention some pints can being drank)

Cheers,

kc

Hi kc and welcome to the board, have a great time in Soest, I am off for a trip down memory lane for a week in May, looking forward to it as it will be the first time I have been back to my old stomping grounds since 1999.

cdn~loadmaster wrote:

I've read your posts with great interest in regards to some of the installations at Soest. My grandfather was stationed there with the Canadian Guards. As I'm in Germany for a couple of weeks on deployment with the Canadian Forces, I'm travelling to Soest to look back on some fond family history. My mother had mentioned that the Red Patch club was a place he went often, so I'll do my best to find out about it. I will be taking a guided tour through Soest, so hopefully some light can be shed on this once vibrant spot (Not to mention some pints can being drank)

Cheers,

kc

Oh how I envy you!!! The Canadian Guards? Don't know of any outfit by that name...but of course it could have had an "official" name. I miss Soest terribly and still, 30-odd years after leaving it for the last time, still dream of it sometimes. It was, by far, 'the' key time of my life! I'd love to see pics of the place now. Are you aware of a site called ruhrmemories.ca? Excellent site and geared more to photos than this site. www.ruhrmemories.ca .

Shelldrake wrote:

Hi kc and welcome to the board, have a great time in Soest, I am off for a trip down memory lane for a week in May, looking forward to it as it will be the first time I have been back to my old stomping grounds since 1999.

Also envy you, Shelldrake....I seriously doubt I will ever return to the city of my youth now. That time has passed, I can't afford it, etc etc etc. I only return in my dreams (some of which are quite vivid and seem almost as if they are "new" experiences somehow....a tad spooky, that!!).

The best years of my life were spent growing up on the married quarters of Soest. We lived in 2c st laurence weg, eventually moving out of the quarters to Korbecke. Once home from school,WBS, and also on the weekends I would ride back to the patch to hang out with my mates.
Sadly.......my memory for names is not what it used to be so I can't recall everyone.
If you go onto facebook, there are a few sites where you can catch up with the Soest Army Brats, as we are known!
Great times.