York Barracks (Gremmendorf Kaserne), Munster

Posted on behalf of Tim Sherlock

Len (Ciphers)

Ciphers/Tim

Thank you, brings back memories of the late 60s/early 70s though I was based just down the road in the Loddenheide complex.

I wonder who were the last British Army occupants who left last Autumn? (as we have discussed before Oxford Barracks on the other side of town where 1 YORKS still are, was pretty well self contained for amenities/MQ/etc)

Hey, who''s been monkeying around with my Avtar ...

Len (Ciphers)

not me guv!!

check out the general staff!!

I was at York Barracks 1952/54, but it was known to everyone as Gremmendorf Kaserne, never heard it called York until I hit this web site ... don't recall any buildings across the street .. there was a local gasthaus we hung out at but generally for me it was at my 17/21 Lancer pals married pad. Many a night I've staggered from the Married Pad's to that welcoming light outside the barracks .. no Lilli Marlene to greet me but I do recall the Sgt of the Guard (17/21 Lancers) asking me wether or not I was going to come inside or sleep outside for the night .. I just couldn't put another foot in front of the other .. Happy Daze.

Len (Ciphers)

ciphers wrote:

I was at York Barracks 1952/54, but it was known to everyone as Gremmendorf Kaserne, never heard it called York until I hit this web site ... don't recall any buildings across the street .. there was a local gasthaus we hung out at but generally for me it was at my 17/21 Lancer pals married pad. Many a night I've staggered from the Married Pad's to that welcoming light outside the barracks .. no Lilli Marlene to greet me but I do recall the Sgt of the Guard (17/21 Lancers) asking me wether or not I was going to come inside or sleep outside for the night .. I just couldn't put another foot in front of the other .. Happy Daze.

Len (Ciphers)

I used a similar method to get back to barracks. In Lippstadt the road was illuminated by overhead lighting from the Bahnhof to Sudstrasse, where Churchill Bks was located. If I ran out of lights I was lost!



PS: I think Gordon has been coveting your Avatar for a while now. Just saying.

I was stationed in York Barracks 1962/3 with 206 Signal Sqn. Well remember Brigadier Carver (later FM Lord) charging round the camp perimeter in his gocart.
The Queen's Own Hussars were there in 1962 then came 4/7th DG. My married quarters were situated in Heiderstrasse. Five minute walk from the barracks.
Good memories
Jimsigs

Visited York Barracks again today. It's now totally vacated albeit for 3 German civvy security guards.

According to them it's still not clear where some or all of the buildings will be demolished.

I asked if I could have a look around, they were very apologetic and said that they needed authorisation from the German Dept of Works. Anyway I've got the email address of the project manager and I'm going to write to him in the hope that I can have a final look around before anything gets demolished.. I will of course take as many pics as poss.

Cheers
Tim

Tim

Thanks for the offer

I am sure I am not the only member of this site who has fond memories of Munster (though mine are based round Waterloo Barracks a mile closer to the city Centre and completely unrecognisable now)

Great memories of York (Gremmendorf) Barracks especially the Cpl's Bar in the lower left hand end of the Signals Block. We built that with our bare little puddies in 1953, it used to be the SQMS Stores but on my first day there a flood occurred and the QM moved to the opposite end of the block. It was a mess, the parquet flooring was buckled and the walls soaked with water but after about 6 months of hard work in off duty time (yes we actually had some time off) we had a great place to sit back and kick our heels up. Full bar plus a recreation and reading room, had some great dances there. Sad to hear its no more.

Len (Ciphers)

In 1984/5 I had the "pleasure" of dining with the QRIH while the Garrison officers mess was being refurbished. The QRIH mess was wasted on those ******s. A very fancy building which I believe was built to house Luftwaffe WWII officers. Pity to see that go..

We lived in No1 Wiegandweg,just over the wall from York Barracks.

Happy nights in the Italian restaurant Porto Fino opposite the main gate.

P.S. Who put that REME flash on my shoulder. Could at least have made it RAOC

In, (about), '66 we were in a recently-modernised Kirkee McMunn Bks in Colchester. We were in an air portable role, with pack howitzers and morale was high.
Then somebody in the War Box took it into their head to uproot us, send us to Munster to be equipped with ancient 25pdr and 5.5s, and to cap it all ,we were dumped in Portsmouth Bks, along Hoherheckenweg, a total rat hole.
Morale dropped and people were buying themselves out in droves.
Munster was not a good posting for us.

I always got the impression that the good Burghers of Munster and Paderborn weren't affy fond of Britische Soldaten, maybe it was just me?

That'll be you AND me then.

Seem to remember a well respected member of the local civilian community being quoted as saying words to the effect "we Munsteraners have always been suspicious of men in military uniform (including our own). It goes back fifteen hundred years from the time when Roman Legions attempted to occupy the area".

The civilian White Horse Mess in Grevener Strasse was believed to have been the local SS HQ and certainly the other building in Munster with the erased swastika was used as the local HQ for organising the roundup of the Jewish population. Neither of which would make the Wehrmacht popular with the indigenous.. But I never got over the business of entering a shop, expecting the person in front to hold the door open ,only to have them let it go in your face. They did it to everyone.
Then again in the smaller shops in Munster in the 80s shop assistants would come out from behind the counter to open the door as you left. Funny lot the Germans, didnt like the Politzei at all !

Chemist wrote:

P.S. Who put that REME flash on my shoulder. Could at least have made it RAOC

Don't worry Chemist, you are going to look VERY smart when you are promoted to Sgt.

Found the herrenvolk of Munster quite amiable during my stint there in 52/54, they turned out by the thousands to watch the Queen's Coronation Parade in 1953 and the troops got a great reception. A brewery truck arrived at York Barracks with a load of beer for distribution around the various messes. Shopkeepers were polite even though they often got stiffed by some guy who was going home with an unpaid bill. The 17/21 Lancers guard mount complete with Regimental Band and side men in full regalia with lances was a great favourite and always had a good local turnout.
Len (Ciphers)

York Kaserne used to be the administrative end of the Luftwaffe airfield. The other end was Waterloo Kaserne which had been converted into civvy apartments by the time I got there in '82. The runways had all been built on, civvy housing as well as Swinton and Buller Kasernes. To the best of my knowledge the area around York Kaserne known as Gremmendorf was rural during WW2 plus it was also well hammered by the RAF and USAF which would account for the lack of buildings in 52/53. It was well built up by the time I arrived and fortunately included a schnell imbiss and a pub, the Gremmendorfer Hof, which was well used by both locals and QRIH alike. The owner did tell me however that she was often mocked at meetings with other licencees because she ran a "sheiss Tommy pub".

[quote="Hussar100"]. The other end was Waterloo Kaserne which had been converted into civvy apartments by the time I got there in '82.

Surely 82 is a miss print? 4 Armoured Brigade as part of the British Contribution to Iraq 1 left from Munster in the early 90s. The Loddenheide Complex aka Buller, Swinton and Waterloo Barracks wasin full use at the time.

[quote="JPW"]

Hussar100 wrote:

. The other end was Waterloo Kaserne which had been converted into civvy apartments by the time I got there in '82.

Surely 82 is a miss print? 4 Armoured Brigade as part of the British Contribution to Iraq 1 left from Munster in the early 90s. The Loddenheide Complex aka Buller, Swinton and Waterloo Barracks wasin full use at the time.

No misprint. QRIH left from Bhurtpore Bcks, Tidworth (and us lot from the Big C in Warminster) in July 1982, effectively swapping with 4RTR; their A Sqn took over as RAC Demo Sqn from us. I think it was the 14/20th who took over from us in 88 at Muenster when we relocated to Fally. I don't have any memory of that however as I was transferred to 3 Inf Bde in 86. QRIH were with 7 Armd Bde in GW1, not 4. As you rightly said 4 Armd were still in Muenster under Hammerbeck and that would still have been known as Loddenheide Military collectively. I'm almost positive though that Waterloo had long gone by that time and was in use for civvy apartments. The infantry contingents were in Buller (1 LI in my time) and Oxford (1 Irish Guards).

I was posted to B Sqn 17/21L in Swinton Barracks in 1983 next door, in Waterloo Barracks, was 2 Fd Regt RA who were still there when I was posted to Hohne in 1986. IIRC.

Gun Plumber

Welcome and thank you for your comments on the Occupants of the Loddenheide complex

The BAOR Orbat Document referred to on another Topic Page also shows 2 Field Regiment RA still being based in Waterloo Barracks in 1989

Definitely 14/20th who took over at York Barracks in 88. I was currently serving there with 204 signal squadron which was part of 4 armd bde.

I was in York Barracks 74