Maresfield Barracks - Herford

I served in Maresfield Barracks with 7 Signal Regt in 1963-6. Anyone got memories of the Camp, Regiment or Personalties during the times it was operational.

Yep

We are all ears Gordon, unless it is too savoury !!!!

Gordon. wrote:

Yep

Minimize, Gordon.

Minimize !

Gordon. wrote:

Yep

Anyone else?

All very abbreviated & cryptic. Like being with the Stasi

It`s all been done before..

I forgot Gordon you HAVE been there, worn the tee shirt, done the crime, tasted the tipple, etc, etc.

jimsigs1 wrote:

All very abbreviated & cryptic. Like being with the Stasi

You served with the Stasi?

I certainly did Shelldrake,

S ignals - T echnical - A pprentices - S chool - I nstructor

Ach, Soooo . . !

Quote :

I forgot Gordon you HAVE been there, worn the tee shirt, done the crime, tasted the tipple, etc, etc.

The T shirts were called "sloppy joes " when i was there

Remember them well Gordon

Gordon. wrote:

Quote :

I forgot Gordon you HAVE been there, worn the tee shirt, done the crime, tasted the tipple, etc, etc.

The T shirts were called "sloppy joes " when i was there

40 Army Support Regiment RE Willich 1975/6...tee shirts for the use off "Wallich is Wink" and a CO not impressed…

Naughty

Does enyone know a Taff? Ok, his real name was DavidSteven Murray. He served 1987/1988. Hammersmith Barracks in Herford. Vlothoherstr. He went back to wales. Now i lost his phonenumber. I ask the army for information, but i didnt got any. I cant even look in a phonebook, because i dont know were he lives over there. Please could you tell me, if there would be an office in wales where i could ask for him. Sorry, but my english isnt that good. I hope you understand wht im writing here. Please, i just would like to know how he is.
colli

How the memory plays tricks! Yes - I served there with HQ BAOR Sig Regt in 1952, but I could have sworn it was Harewood Barracks. I left there on detachment to 4 L of C, Hannover, then 2 L of C, Hamburg. After that, posted to 18 Ind Inf Bde Sig Sqn, Kuala Lipis, Malaya then - three weeks after demob in 1956, recalled as a reservist to 10 Armd. Div Sig Regt, Tripoli, Libya. Stayed there until second demob on Christmas Eve, 1956. Stayed on reserve until migration to Canada in 1968, where I joined Royal Westminster Regiment (Militia, or TA equivalent) as a bandsman. (I wasn't a bandsman in the British army. I was a Cipher Op).

I wish I had been a bandsman - I'd have been a better musician than I am now. Still, I'm happy enough to be playing with a couple of jazz groups here in Vancouver.

I was in Harewood Barracks in 1953. The Maresfield Barracks referred to was 7 Signal Regt that is now a housing estate, very near the Zoo.
My barrack block in Harewood barracks near the Ringstrasse was third up on the right, near the dip to the cookhouse.
The CO was Lt Col JDL Morris and our Sqn was commanded by Major Mansergh. His 2i/c was Capt Le-Gassick. and my Troop Commander was 2Lt CGA Ridley. I think my Squadron was 3 Squadron.
The Regiment name was HQ BAOR Sig Regt, changed to HQ BAOR Sig Regt and finally to 18 Army Gp Sig Regt. I left in 1954 as a newly promoted Sgt posted to Korea.
All my intake from Harrogate - 49B were posted into this Regiment in the Autumn of 1952 and we were all sent out to join the large annual exercise taking place at the time - Exercise Holdfast. What a baptism of fire.
Have fond memories of those times, especially being on duty at the receiver site in Bad Oynehausen with the AR88 receivers etc. Bad Oynehausen was then the HQ of BAOR - Rhinedahlen hadn't been built then.
A great time to have been in BAOR

Ex Holdfast


Some of my Sig Cen crew

Len (Ciphers)

Hi Len,
That's a motly crew of fellas.

Here is a photo with kind permission of Peter Jackson (who is 3rd from the left sitting) of 3 Medium wireless Troop in 1953



The Sgt's name I believe was Gray. The fellas from my intake at Harrogate are :
Pete Kinsey - 3rd from right rear row.
Jock Patterson - 2nd from right front row
Digger Lock - 3rd from left  front row
Pete Jackson - 3rd from left seat on floor.
Havn't got a photo of my troop but here I am during the same period

So all the good looking blokes were sent to Signals?

Cheers,
Dan.

I dunno how I missed it, but I didn't realise there was a Maresfield as well as a Harewood Barracks - which is where I was. I also took part in Ex. Holdfast - somewhere near Muenchen Gladbach, as I recall. Somewhere buried in the basement, I have a B&W photo of some of the boys and me - all clutching Sten guns with absolutely no idea how to use them. I'll see if I can find it. As an 18-year-old sprog, Herford was also my first introduction to German beer in the form of Herford Pils - marked by a night of cathartic vomiting and the mother of all hangovers. In spite of it all, happy days - as indeed were the rest of the six years I spent as a Soldier of The King (and later, The Queen), in Malaya and Libya.

Dan M wrote:

So all the good looking blokes were sent to Signals?

Cheers,
Dan.

Quite so. This was taken in 10 Armd. Div Sigs Sgts' Mess in Tripoli, at the time of the Suez crisis. I'm the (extremely) good-looking bloke in the middle, missing the shoulder flashes. Since we reservists were only there for four months, it seemed hardly worth sewing them on. The Rupert with his back to the camera was the CO, whose name I can't remember - though I do remember the RSM was a best-forgotten bloke called Jimmy Derwent.

(Sadly, my attempt to post the pic failed. You'll just have to take my word for it).