I found this site a while ago but never really explored it until now. I am currently posted in Bielefeld and since contributions are encouraged I thought this may be of some use. It's great to see some pictures of the barracks and compare to what it looks like now!
Following SDSR10 I was instructed to write some history for our Regt since we had an uncertain future (but then, who does not!). I wrote it based on some research I carried out at the RLC museum based on records and the Corps journal, 'The Sustainer'.
Edit it down as necessary as it contains some passages that may not be of interest and admittedly some that are a little convoluted given how many permutations the Regt has seen over the years!
On 5 Apr 93 the RLC was formed and 24 Tpt and Mov Regt RLC entered its most recent guise with Lt Col R J Hooper RLC at the helm. It absorbed the Strategic Movement responsibility from the RCT and Postal and Courier role from the RE. The Regt was established with 30, 70, 71, 72 Tpt Sqns, 69 MC Sqn and 99 P&C Sqn. The Regt’s HQ was set up in Bielefeld and both ‘the Ridge’ and ‘The Wedge,’ recently refurbished, were well explored.
The new Corps was still finding its feet and it was only months before 24 was re-orbatted with 71 and 99 Sqns detached to 2 Gp and 15 Gp respectively. Even in 93 the BAOR drawdown was in full effect and the first casualty was 25 Regt RLC, one of the shortest lived Regts in the Corps, merging with 24 Regt in Jun 94.
The Regt’s first section in what became known as ‘The Sustainer’ was in Feb 94. It illustrates the very close links formed with both the German Armed Forces and the civilian authorities in maintaining the responsibility for strategic movement and road tpt across Europe. It also gives an insight into its sporting and military skills pedigree that even today is maintained in high regard. The first Regt exercise included a CFT and a BFG driving tick test to ensure that the tps were up to scratch mentally and physically.
In 95 the new CO, Lt Col IC Macfarlane oversaw the addition of 54 Tpt Sqn, to deploy ARRC, and 79 Railway Sqn to the Orbat. The Regt was as busy as ever with Ops BANNER (Northern Ireland), GRAPPLE (Bosnia and FYR Yugoslavia) and UNFICYP (Cyprus). While the Orbat was finally confirmed, it was in the knowledge that the Regt’s 5 tpt Sqns were due to be subsumed within the new Garrison Tpt Organisations (GTOs).
In Aug 96 UKMLS emerged out of a need to allow deployable units to concentrate on ops. The Regt had shrunk to just UKMLS, 69 and 71 Sqns. Elements of 69 Sqn were constantly deployed in FYR and one of their more unusual tasks included the movement of an injured Golden Eagle back to the UK. In 97 the Regt registered its first Thorn Trophy win, a coveted prize that it has largely retained since then.
In Oct 97, 79 Railway Sqn were preparing to join with 17 P&M Regt in Marchwood. There was an emotional handover of trains to the German authorities and their departure marked the start of a period of comparative stability. It was 99 before the changes were rung again. 99 Sqn was taken back into the fold, with 98 Sqn still part of 1 (GS) Regt and the title was changed to “just” ‘24 Regt RLC’.
In 00, Lt Col Carlisle presided over the Regt’s twinning with 503 Regement du Train of the Armée Français. The occasion was marked by a high spirited football match in which the CO was injured but refused to be carried from the field. The Brits ran out 1-0 winners.
Having lost 30 Sqn to GTO, it was reactivated in Jun 03 as a Postal and Courier Sqn and installed in Rochdale Bks. The Orbat now stable encompassing 30 and 99 PC, 69 MC, 49 HQ Sqns and UKMLS. The Regt was busy with a high pace of Ops including PALATINE and OCCULUS (both Bosnia) AGRICOLA (Macedonia and Kosovo) and TELIC (Iraq) yet maintained its sporting prowess with success across a number of disciplines.
The CO Lt Col Cook rode out of Catterick Bks on a white charger and the new CO, Lt Col Vignaux figuratively ‘rode’ in. He too would later literally ride out on a white horse. In 2005, the Regt structures within the Corps were adjusted. LSRs were created from the GS Regts and new AORs for Europe were drawn up. The focus for 24 Regt was now firmly on Germany with a detachment from UKMLS at SHAPE in Belgium. The Regt also adopted 98 PC Sqn and the punishing op tempo continued. In Apr 06 40 Sqn was formed under FAS to ease the deployment burden on 69 Sqn and the Regt had its full compliment of Sqns and later that year, the whole Regt was back in Germany; predominantly in Bielefeld with 99 Sqn and part of UKMLS in Rheindahlen. It was the end of an era and as a quotation in ‘The Sustainer’ proclaimed: “Strong men often cry on post day.”
In Aug 06 the Regt adopted the white Hannovarian Charger as its crest, replacing the white shield that sported the Movement Control wheel and the Postal and Courier horn separated by the RLC colours. In 07, Lt Col Vignaux departed in the aforementioned style and Lt Col Carrington arrived, though his first day was possibly less graceful. His first event was a 7km run on the ridge followed by a 15km bike ride, washed down with a gruelling cross-country motorcycle course. In 09 the Regt was honoured to receive a visit from the Colonel-in-Chief, HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal.
In early 10, Lt Col Carrington was replaced by Lt Col Luedicke whose novelty exit was in a horse drawn carriage. Lt Col Robin Smith is now in command and will oversee the merger of 69 and 98 and 40 and 99 Sqns to create 2 multi-role deployable Movement Control and Postal and Courier Squadrons.
The Regt has remained adept at staying cohesive despite its geographically diverse barrack locations and remarkably has retained its strong sporting and military skills prowess despite an extremely high pace of operational deployments, with sub-units deployed almost every year. This is undoubtedly down to the personnel, from CO to Pte throughout the years and a strong sense of belonging that the British Army’s Regimental system engenders even when, on the first glance, it may not seem to apply to RLC Regts as with infantry units.
Les Pattenden Col
Number of posts : 473 Age : 78 Localisation : Hampshire Cap Badge : RCT Places Served : Aldershot, Marchwood, Longmoor, Dusseldorf,Munster,Ratingen,Longmoor Registration date : 2011-11-12
Thanks for that, very interesting and nice to catch up a little
ritter Maj
Number of posts : 265 Age : 95 Localisation : North Huron Township, ON,Canada Cap Badge : Royal Canadian Artillery Places Served : CFB Valcartier, CFB Borden, AFVR Meaford, Ipperwash, CAN; Hannover, Putlos; 21 Fd Regt RCA(M) Registration date : 2011-07-09
GPR Reference your post: Catterick Barracks, Bielefeld Welcome to the Baor forum. I'm not very knowledgeable about Brit regiments, units, et al but I do understand the time it takes to do meaningful research and good writing. Very well done BobR
TonyE WOI
Number of posts : 112 Age : 93 Localisation : Woodbridge Suffolk Cap Badge : RASC & RCASC,later CF Logistics Branch Places Served : Hannover, Bielefeld, Camp Borden, Camp Petawawa, CFB Kingston, Korea, Soest, Cyprus, Lahr. Registration date : 2009-01-09
GPR Well done,a bit more complicated than when I was trying to explain 11 Armoured Div Transport Column in Catterick Barracks i 51-52. 54 Coy RASC was part of our organization even then.
TonyE
Crockroy LCpl
Number of posts : 9 Localisation : Around Paderborn/ Bielefeld Cap Badge : Ex RA - 50Msl, 12Regt, 20Bde Places Served : Menden, Dortmund, Bosnia, NI, Oman, Iraq, Canada, Rheindahlen, Bielefeld, Paderborn Registration date : 2019-12-11
Catterick Bks Bielefeld scheduled to be closed end of Feb 2020
Crockroy LCpl
Number of posts : 9 Localisation : Around Paderborn/ Bielefeld Cap Badge : Ex RA - 50Msl, 12Regt, 20Bde Places Served : Menden, Dortmund, Bosnia, NI, Oman, Iraq, Canada, Rheindahlen, Bielefeld, Paderborn Registration date : 2019-12-11
Number of posts : 702 Localisation : Between Hannover and Herford, off all main routes Cap Badge : Not even a reservist now - have been Pborn3 Places Served : Oswestry 1965, Paderborn to 1971, NE Dist, Munsterlager from 1974, Sennelager (1976 to 2012) Registration date : 2016-12-16
To amplify Shelldrake's Post: at Catterick Bks Feb 2020
Pborn4 Brig
Number of posts : 702 Localisation : Between Hannover and Herford, off all main routes Cap Badge : Not even a reservist now - have been Pborn3 Places Served : Oswestry 1965, Paderborn to 1971, NE Dist, Munsterlager from 1974, Sennelager (1976 to 2012) Registration date : 2016-12-16
Subject: Developments Catterick Bks and Rochdale Bks was BFPO39 22/11/2020, 20:27
Under new management. Quick sale after much wrangling - Bundes Anstalt für Immobilienangelegenheiten handed over keys for the first building in Catterick Barracks on 21 Oct 2020 to the Federal Police who anticipate first intake of 450 trainees (male and female) in autumn 2021
There are copyright concerns so links are given to the German reports/photos on the developments to the estates:
Apart from the Federal Police the Federal Customs (Zoll) and the Federal Agency for Migrants and Refugees have expressed interest in accommodation in the newly released barracks (Catterick on Detmolderstrasse and Rochdale on Oldentruper Strasse) as Federal bodies these orgs have priority over other bidders/planners for the accn.
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1/11/2024, 21:34 by Viv97
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