Location of RASC Barracks in Schleswig Holstien

Hi there
I was wondering if anyone could help me. My Dad was in the RASC and was based in Schleswig Holstien between 1950 - 1970's. I was wondering if anyone would know the name of the Barracks or the exact location. Iam going to Schleswig in September and wouldnt mind seeing where my Dad was based - I know the barracks may not be there anymore but I would like to see where they were. My Dad always said it was a beautiful place.
Sorry I dont have any more information.
My Dad - Rodney Bain was a Seargent Major from Alloa if any one rembers him, it would be great to hear from you.
Any information will be gratfully received.
Many thanks for looking

Liz

Welcome to the site Liz..I`m sure one of our resident experts will be able to help you..

Liz Welcome

I am one of the "resident experts" on Schleswig Holstein as I was at school in Ploen in the 1950s, in what I agree is one of the more beautiful areas of Germany

Without knowing the exact name of your father's unit it is difficult to suggest an exact location but by 1950 the British Army presence in Schleswig Holstein (outside of Hamburg)was very small, concentrated in the Neumunster, Schleswig and Kiel area. If he served there in the 1960s it must have been a posting linked to the BAOR Adventurous Training (Sailing) Centre based in Kiel.

Do come back if you want more information (It would be useful if someone in your family could remember what your father's military trade was). The RASC had a wide range of military responsibilities. The combination of his rank with trade (eg clerk, catering or transport) might further narrow options.

Hi there, Thanks for your quick response. The only other information I have is a card with RASC on it with date 30th Aug 1950, which also has his Army number on it. There is a part which says rank but I cant make out exactly what it says, it looks like Div (hope this means something to someone). I also know he was with the transport corps and drove Ducks, which I have photos of.

Liz

His rank would have been Driver (abreviated to Dvr). This suggests your father was with a RASC Transport Unit in 1950. I think therefore he was based in either Neumunster or Kiel. There was no significant British presence in Schleswig then.

Liz

An afterthought, you mentioned DUKWs. This suggests your father might have been based at or attached to the Amphibious Warfare Training Centre based at Eckernforde just to the north of Kiel. Details of the unit are scare unfortunately

Secondly I believe you are now authorised to obtain a copy of your father's service record including the units he served in. Your local branch of the Royal British Legion could help you apply and it might provide some additional background information on exactly where your father served

Hi,

I found this on Googling..

http://www.combinedops.com/POST%20WW2%20COM%20OPS%20TRAINING%201947%20-%2050%20.htm

Regards
Alan

Alan

Thanks your the info , will add it to my data bank of British units in Schleswig Holstein. It will be interesting to find out who commanded it, HQ BAOR or HQ RN(G)

Hi again
Thanks for all your help this, its very exciting I did request my Fathers service records at the begining of June and have since been advised that it may take between 6 - 9 months before I receive any information. The infomatiion about Eckernforde sounds hopefull. I will post some photos later on which some one might recognise.
Thanks again Liz

Hi Again
I have attached a few photos that I thought might help me with my search and also bring back some memories for some of you.
There are 2 photos of DUKW's that my Dad used to drive/pilot. The group photo shows my Dad - looking at the photo he is in the front row on the left hand side of the barrell. I dont know where or when this photo was taken but do hope that someone might be able to help me. I am most gratefull for any information that anyone might have - no matter how small. Cheers Liz

The group photo looks like it was taken in UK judging by the wooden buildings in the background.

If I might put my two penn'orth in !

I notice that in the group photo everyone is wearing Number 2 dress and there is a Land Rover behind them.

Could it be that the date on the card mentioned earlier was in fact 1960 ?

No 2 dress didn't come in till around '62-'63 generally and Land Rovers a little after that.

(The vehicle leaving the LCT isn't a DUKW by the way).

brum wrote:

If I might put my two penn'orth in !

I notice that in the group photo everyone is wearing Number 2 dress and there is a Land Rover behind them.

Could it be that the date on the card mentioned earlier was in fact 1960 ?

No 2 dress didn't come in till around '62-'63 generally and Land Rovers a little after that.

(The vehicle leaving the LCT isn't a DUKW by the way).

Well spotted Brum, on all counts. Actually the date is probably even later. Note the motorcycle registration 74ET09. The ET series were issued to B vehicles from 1966 onwards.

Mike

Your cooking with gas to-night Brum.I didn`t think it was a DUKW either.The only time i saw them was as a small child at the end of the war and my memory tells me they didn`t look like that..However that`s over 60 years ago, so i could be wrong.

Liz

Thank you for the photos

Like the previous contributors I am uncertain on the date/location

1. Your father is wearing a Staff Sergeants Crown and Stripes on his then very new No2 Dress. I would suggest therefore the photo was taken in the mid 60s.

2 The white paint suggests the vehicle emerging from the Landing Ship/Craft was a trials vehicle it definitely not a wartime DUKW..

3.Regarding location I cannot be certain but I am pretty certain that the Eckernforde unit had closed by the mid 60s and all Amphibious military trials were carried out in the UK. Agree with mjm that the wooden buildings are the uk design, those built in BAOR were to a differnet style. I suggest therefore that the location is Instow near Barnstaple in Devon.

A WW2 DUKW

Liz`s pic is a LARC-V (Lighter, Amphibious Re-Supply Cargo, 5-Ton (LARC-V))

I knew that!

I didn't!!

There`s a short description here

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/larc.htm

The group photo could have been taken at Fremington Camp, Instow, N Devon, the home of 18 (Amphibious) Sqn RCT equiped with DUKWs. The Sqn was formed at Fremington Camp in 1958 and remained there until it moved to Marchwood in 1971, it was disbanded in 1974. The other Units at Instow were - Fording Trials Branch REME (FTB), where I spent some six months carrying out waterproofing tials on the Midge Drone in 1968 after flight trials in the USA and Canada, and the RM Amphibious Traing Unit. At that time FTB had 2 DUKWS as support vehs for the diving teams, and the RM had a DUKW and a LARC. The LARC was trialed by the RCT but because it was larger than a DUKW, both length and width, it was unsuitable for road use, OK for ship to shore operation over an open beach and cross loading to conventional road transport.

The other pictures certainly show a LARC exiting an LCT. As to the other veh, it is tracked and I dont recognise lt, have to do some research.

Bob

Is it not a tracked landing craft of some sort Bob??

Gordon. wrote:

Is it not a tracked landing craft of some sort Bob??

Looks like a Buffalo LVT or a development of it.

Mike

That takes me back, a guy that I served with in Lippstadt in '64 had previously served with the Black Watch during WW2. He used to reminisce that he was "The first man over the Rhine in the back of a Buffalo", hadn't a clue what he was talking about until now!

Yes it is a Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT). I believe it is a more recent version of the LVT 3(C) Bushmaster than that shown in the link, the one Shelldrake is refering to is the LVT 2 Water Buffalo. Follow the links below and compare with original one posted exiting an LCT, this is deffinitely a trials veh, see Reg No, probably from Bovington - looks like RAC and MOD flashes on the front. I do not believe it ever entered service. If you are interested in the latest vesion of the LTV - the Amphibious Assault Vehicle, in service with the US Marines google AAVP7A1.

LVT 2 Water Buffalo [a]http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints/tanks/tanks-k-l/25715/view/lvt-2_water_buffalo_amtrac/[a/]

An early LVT 3 Bushmaster[a]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfwFatbeHJM[a/]