Hamburg Barracks

As I have already said in previous posts, I lived during the 1939 - 1945 period in and near to the German HANSEATEN KASERNE in Fuhlsbuettel district of Hamburg. It was naturally a perfect place to house British soldiers after 1945, the year you kindly liberated us from mad Adolf.

Yes, I was one of the little German kid's that waved from the pavement as your tanks rolled along Alsterkrug Chaussee. Thanks for throwing us some chocolates and biscuits that I and my brother managed to catch. We did shout DANKE SCHOEN at the time, but no doubt you did not hear us over the noise of the tanks engines and were also distracted by ogling the young ladies on the pavement.

I have to sadly report that the barracks was being demolished back in March 2012 when I visited that area again, which for me was not nice to see. The land will be used for houses to be built. So, any of you who may have been stationed there, it is to late to visit it again. A changing world we live in.

All fascinating subjects, but have you forgotten that it is time now that you put your mind to those presents for Christmas and not leave it to the last minutes. You, or most likely your Dad’s or his Dad will want something thoughtful and interesting as a gift. I have worked hard and burnt much midnight oil to make this possible for you. Why not look at the following internet site and happy reading to all.

world wide web.farewelltohamburg.com

Wow, I stated the day as a Lance Corporal and have been promoted to SGT. Thank you, thank you, thank you once again. The extra money will come in handy.

Hi Dieter Rudolph

Interesting you lived in Hamburg, I was there with British Army in 1951 but only for one week, cannot remember where we stayed but have memory of a normal German Kaserne, beside a "main" street, on the other side of the street were large buildings maybe something to do with a church or another kaserne.
Any idea which kaserne this could be?
Regards Tony

Hi Tony

Somehow I think we communicated on this subject about a year ago. The barracks I refer to was diagonally opposite what was then the ROENTGEN WERKE and is now a PHILIPS Factory on X-Ray tubes. ROENTGEN actually means X-Ray, so it seems that this factory has been making x-ray tubes since before 1939 and still is.

Send me your direct mail address and I will send you a picture. Alternatively if you have ordered my book a picture of the barracks is within that.

For all of you, the book is now also available as an e book for kindle from Amazon.com. Just search for it by name. It is priced at just over 4 USD. A bargain!

Dieter

Too late for your book I am afraid but on a recent visit to the Military Section of the National Archives in Kew London I found a list of 23 Barracks in Hamburg used by the British Army in 1945/46/47 (clearly there were more). Amongst those listed was Hanseaten Kaserne Fuhlsbuttel, renamed by the British, Arborfield Barracks and providing living accommodation for a number of REME units. This would explain your schoolboy memories of REME soldiers.

Tony
By 1951 the British Army presence in Hamburg had significantly reduced. First reaction is that you could have stayed in Philips Barracks in the Hochkamp area (west) of the City but there are a few other possibilities. Can you remember which unit you were sent to? Alternatively what was your cap badge, military trade? PM me if you wish

Has Dieter written a book, he never mentioned it! What's it about?

Sheldrake how coud you have missed it? Easily rectified:

worldwideweb.farewelltohamburg.com

Now also available as an e book but having seen it on KINDLE the paperwork gives a much better reading experience.

How is that for modern lingo?

Dieter

JPW

The Hamburg Archives would like their paperwork back that the British, their words not mine, took away in 1945. Are they in Kew?

I would imagine that if all the paperwork is returned it will make room for many immigrant families that are being housed in expensive hotels. I will have a word with David Cameron when I see him next.

JPW

Thanks, so you British renamed my fathers barracks ARBORFIELD? I prefer Hanseaten Kaserne but seeing as it now knocked down, we better concentrate on something else.

Thanks for all your wonderful input.

Dieter

Be my guest, next task is the exact location of Herman Goering Kaserne (have sent you a pm with more details)

Dieter.Rudolph wrote:

Sheldrake how coud you have missed it? Easily rectified:

worldwideweb.farewelltohamburg.com

Now also available as an e book but having seen it on KINDLE the paperwork gives a much better reading experience.

How is that for modern lingo?

Dieter

I didn't realise, I'll have a look!!

JPW wrote:

Dieter

Too late for your book I am afraid but on a recent visit to the Military Section of the National Archives in Kew London I found a list of 23 Barracks in Hamburg used by the British Army in 1945/46/47 (clearly there were more). Amongst those listed was Hanseaten Kaserne Fuhlsbuttel, renamed by the British, Arborfield Barracks and providing living accommodation for a number of REME units. This would explain your schoolboy memories of REME soldiers.

Tony
By 1951 the British Army presence in Hamburg had significantly reduced. First reaction is that you could have stayed in Philips Barracks in the Hochkamp area (west) of the City but there are a few other possibilities. Can you remember which unit you were sent to? Alternatively what was your cap badge, military trade? PM me if you wish

Hi again,
I was in Royal Engineers, and we stayed about one week, think we did this twice; our job was to inspect the bridges over the Weser; so was not posted there only on a duty visit. Cant even remember how close we were to the city centre; but driving in from Osnabruck signs of much devastation possibly Harburg area. A very long time ago
Will PM you also
Tony

Tony

Thank you for the info

As I said in an earlier posting the British military presence in Hamburg was much reduced by the early 50s

My guess is you must have stayed in transit accommodation controlled by HQ Hamburg District probably in either Uxbridge or the adjacent Philips Barracks in the Hochkamp area in the western suburbs of the City.

JPW wrote:

Tony

Thank you for the info

As I said in an earlier posting the British military presence in Hamburg was much reduced by the early 50s

My guess is you must have stayed in transit accommodation controlled by HQ Hamburg District probably in either Uxbridge or the adjacent Philips Barracks in the Hochkamp area in the western suburbs of the City.

Hi again,
Must be one of these two, transit facilities, we also had about 30-40 vehicles
Wikimapia shows a barracks now called Clauswitz Karerne, is this the spot
60 years ago is a very long time, and not being there very long has blurred the memory

Tony

burgess720 wrote:

Hi Dieter Rudolph

Interesting you lived in Hamburg, I was there with British Army in 1951 but only for one week, cannot remember where we stayed but have memory of a normal German Kaserne, beside a "main" street, on the other side of the street were large buildings maybe something to do with a church or another kaserne.
Any idea which kaserne this could be?
Regards Tony

Tony

You sent me your personal e-mail address and I in error deleted that message.

send it to me again please

I will send some photos on to you.

Regards

Dieter

Tony

Clausewitz Kaserne was indeed called Uxbridge Barracks in the British era

Philips Bartacks was the satellite location and was the other side of the railway line in the area Freidenweg/Janischweg/Gerstenberger Strasse/Langenhohe Strasse. If you look carefully on the satellite system you can trace the outline of the former barracks as some of the old military buildings have been adapted for civilian use.

JPW wrote:

Tony

Clausewitz Kaserne was indeed called Uxbridge Barracks in the British era

Philips Bartacks was the satellite location and was the other side of the railway line in the area Freidenweg/Janischweg/Gerstenberger Strasse/Langenhohe Strasse. If you look carefully on the satellite system you can trace the outline of the former barracks as some of the old military buildings have been adapted for civilian use.

Hi again,

Yes thanks found it, those standard barrack blocks are easy to spot if you zoom reight in; well built and guess easily converted to civvy use
So much information on this site; now really wants putting together in a history document covering all barracks and units in BAOR, a big job to put together into a single document / book
Tony

Tony

You are correct about the mass of information on this site. We do need an expert with the time and expertise who we can all trust to do as you say

In the meantime Cuxhaven Steve and I (with the significant encouragement and assistance of others) will continue with our private project to try and research and record the BAOR of the 1945-50 period. I thought I knew the Schleswig Holstein/8 Corps area (was a schoolboy there in the 1950s) but now have over 120 separate locations where British Army units were stationed over the years. Also am doing a similar exercise for the Wilhelmshaven area and the Canadian 2nd Corps (again with the encouragement and assistance of our Canada based contributors), it is a plus that the Stadt authorities in Wilhelmshaven use this site as a reference from time to time(there other German organisations who do likewise).

Hopefully the ownership of this site will finally resolved and more importantly the technical mystery which is presenting amendments to the master document and front pages (not this Forum) can be resolved. In the mean time "patience is a virtue" they say.