Iserlohn

You're probably right Redcap, but some times I think owners them selves put them out of bounds because of previous hi-jinks by local troops and just didn't want the bother of their foolishness. And talking about personal items ending up in these establishments, I remember a talk from our Brigadier in Nov 66 when I was on Jnr NCO course up in Werl. Apparently the Amsterdam Police did a sweep of the popular bars for Canadians and found many, many, I.D. cards and pass ports left by Canadian Troops over the years (going back to the early 50's) as collateral for bar bills. We were informed that this wasn't to be done any more and the Amsterdam Police wouldn't be handling the Canadian lads in a light manner any more.

Indeed. Loss of ID Cards became so bad in the '70s that it was declared to be a Prevalent Offence. The Int boys reckoned that most of the "losses" ended up on the other side of the Curtain.

No love it's not they have to be on an isp site for the links to work.

Indeed locator, cost me 50DM back in '73 or '74 for losing my ID Card. Didn't help much, that when I found it and asked the RSM could I have my 50DM back either.

I can well imagine losing ones ID was severely frowned upon. Even as a 'dependent' I always had to have my ID with me as it was not unknown for even the local polizei to stop one of us and ask/demand our papers. When I returned in '73 to work I also always had to ensure my ID was with me as I was then officially a gastarbeiter, or guest worker/foreign worker.

Canadian civilians to whom I have told such stories are unbelieving, having grown up on the whole idea of individual freedoms and democracy, so that the mere idea of being stopped and asked for ID was anathema. Personally, I never really had much of an issue with it.

As for NATO ID ending up behind the Iron Curtain...of that I have little doubt. The Cold War was an interesting time.

Heck, I even remember my Dad reporting a SOXMIS car to the authorities, as he was supposed to. The idea that the Soviets/East Germans would send in an obvious spy vehicle, all properly registered and identifiable, always struck me as a bit absurd, but there ya have it.

remember the only time i reported a soxmis car,the rmps just said i was the 21st person to ring up ,was i deflated or what.graham.

graham wright wrote:

remember the only time i reported a soxmis car,the rmps just said i was the 21st person to ring up ,was i deflated or what.graham.

It wouldn't surprise me that you received such a cavalier response...every NATO member had a responsibility to report sightings of SOXMIS, and did (by and large), so whenever a SOXMIS was in the area no doubt the switchboard at the local MPs shack lit up!

My dad received a small card, which we framed, for reporting "his" SOXMIS. It was always a conversation piece amongst our civvie friends.

Have tracked down some aerial photos in a book about Iserlohn including Sümmern dated 1991 the barracks are shown pre demolition/conversion and most streets are named so showing married quarters now have scanned so anybody interested please send a private message with your email address
Cheers
Steve

The book 'Iserlohn unter dem Union Jack 1945 to 1948' has proved VERY interesting with the help of other publications now know that BAOR formed in 1946 and HQ 1 Corps District (states of Rhineland and Westphalia) were in Aldershot Barracks with the Signal Regiment in Mons Barracks as the book has an update on the 1945 Iserlohn British Army map found on eBay (still have yet to find a BIG scanner) 1 Corps District disbanded in Jun 1947 and HQ 5 Inf Bde moved in Sep 1947...lots of work to do

Also down along Garten Strasse, just below the Goethe Institute but across Garten Strasse was a small gasthof called The Intime (as in "intimate"). I don't know much about it, just that as a 17-year old known for frequenting gasthofs I was warned within an inch of my life to NOT go there...interestingly enough, I never did!

Now, I'm not sure why it was off-limits to me, but I suspect it was a disreputable little dive frequented by "poufs" (as in prostitutes) and too-expensive and watered-down Urault brandy drinks.

Hardrations wrote:

Steph when I was over in 07, Larry my friend from Deilinghofen took us down to a wonderful restaurant on the main street going into Iserlohn from Hemer. It was on the left hand side as you drove in. Wonderful place for a meal. I'll have to get a hold of him to tell me the name again. He said it's been there quite awhile.

I believe I know which place you mean. Did the entrance have a heavy drapery across it to ward of winter chills? I likewise forget the name but am pretty sure I have been there for a meal.

Speaking of which, down in Stephanopel (the valley enroute to Deilinghofen) was an out-of-the-way little inn called Baer (or Schwartzen Baere or something)...Bear something. The walls were covered with mounted heads of stags, wolverines, foxes, and stuffed pheasants etc. A bit gothic LOL. The food was fantastic. As I recall, their speciality was wild game (which my parents were not great fans of) and I don't now recall what we would have for our meals but I do recall we went there quite often, certainly often enough the proprietor got to know us as regulars/semi-regulars.

Hardrations wrote:

Also my memory jogs me to remember the out of bounds bar across from the British Kinema in Iserlohn. One of the best places to have a beer and meet some good people. Never did figure out why it had an Out of Bounds sign. The meat heads never seemed to come in and check out. But then an Out of Bounds sign was all ways a good reason for us to go in.

Ain't that the truth!! LOL

I'd forgotten about the British Kinema in Iserlohn...we usually attended the Globe theatre up in Fort Prince of Wales in Deilinghofen (another gem the British inherited ).

Speaking of going into Out of Bounds establishments...when living in Soest (by which time I was 17-years old), my best bud and I sneaked into a porn kino located upstairs above some gasthof, just in behind the St. Pauli Church. 1970's porn was almost laughable, even to two horny 17-year olds and 1970's Danish and Swedish porn -- which most of it was, apparently -- really suffered in the dubbing. Nevertheless, we quite enjoyed the couple of visits we made until the bar man cottoned on to the fact we were underaged and kicked our asses outa there!

gang of us went to the blue kino one sunday night.for some strange reason it was illegal to buy tickets for porno kinos on a sunday.to get round this you had to buy 4 boxes of chocolates and hand 2 in to go into the cinema itself..very strange..graham...

graham wright wrote:

gang of us went to the blue kino one sunday night.for some strange reason it was illegal to buy tickets for porno kinos on a sunday.to get round this you had to buy 4 boxes of chocolates and hand 2 in to go into the cinema itself..very strange..graham...

The Germans took Sunday, and various Saints' Days, very seriously is why. We couldn't even hang laundry outside of a Sunday or a Saint's Day which is why so many German houses had those 'flip windows' up in the attic space...the hausfrau would hang her laundry up there to dry instead of outside for all the neighbours to see (who were also hanging their laundry up in the attic LOL).

Of course, like so many things in Germany, one rule was often negated by another...illegal to sell porno kino tickets on a Sunday but, I assume, not go to a porno kino on a Sunday? LOL And it was always possible to find a way around a particular rule...i.e. buy 4 boxes of chocolates and turn 2 in for entry...such things used to always amuse me.

Guest wrote:

Paul wrote:

Steve wrote:

Have just purchased on eBay a 1945 War Office map of Iserlohn you need to move the Kings Regt from Aldershot to Mons Barracks the map confirms the other units it has been overprinted in the late 40s with all British locations in the town including the CSEU theatre shops various messes and clubs the back has the key German establishments including the Nazi Party District HQ! Will try and get it scanned I'm working on a CD of photos for the site just waiting for some of Aldershot Barracks when in German Air Force hands
All the best
Steve

Will do Steve, I will keep the dates the same. I would be interested in the map myself, but it is a bit of a way to come to see it

Paul.

Hi Paul
I'm looking for a local comapny with a BIG scanner
Cheers

Hi Paul
Done some time ago in 8 sections on my A3 scanner and put together with a digital camera program
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By request, the same map but earlier when Iserlohn was HQ 1 Corps District May 1945 to June 1947
Best regards
Steve – interested in anything 1 Corps District




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I remember running a couple of old Bauer carbon arc projectors in the SKC with a guy called Dick Dempsey, 1967 if i recall. Got posted to 4Div after a minor problem in the Bahnhof Resturaunt, pity I loved that Iserlohner Pils..

By complete chance found this:

http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/204865

1st Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment amalgamation with 1st Battalion Suffolk Regiment forming 1st Battalion 1st East Anglian Regiment - Aldershot Barracks Iserlohn

Update on Iserlohn Barracks:

If you scroll up to the first town plan and you will see buildings between Epsom and Mons Barracks, built right up to Westfalenstrasse, this was Melton Barracks, thanks to help from JPW realised this was named by 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, the first British Troops in Iserlohn 3 Jun 45

From 2nd Infantry Division Historical Records have discovered these barracks were home to 38 Field Squadron RE Jan 48 when they arrived from Hannover to join HQRE 2nd Infantry Division from the disbanded HQRE 5th Infantry Division, the powers that be decided to build a road connecting the barracks to Mons Barracks, then the complete complex was known as Mons Barracks

Clearly the barracks were demolished at some point and as yet not know if used later after HQRE 2nd Infantry Division redesignated 23rd Field Engineer Regiment moved to Hameln Dec 48

The Historical Records have also confirmed 1st Battalion (Duke of Cambridge’s Own) Middlesex Regiment (Machine Gun) were in Epsom Barracks Mar 47 to Mar 48, no longer Machine Gun from Dec 47, normal infantry on moving to Hamburg before returning to UK

I have added lots of photos of BMH Iserlohn late 1957=1958 onto this Site -- you can see them under 'Miltary Hospitals BMH Iserlohn'

My grandfather John Pomeroy was stationed there in 1955 with the Worcestershire Regiment. Are there any photos from then? Best Regards

Iserlohn some older öpictures here (courtesy of the Canadians):

https://ruhrmemories.com/ruhr-scenes/iserlohn-album/?