Fallingbostel Units

brum wrote:

dandc wrote:

in 1969 the15/19H took over wessex bks fallingbostle from the RSDGs, the 15/19Hwere still there in late 71 when i was posted ere to the AAC,[ps my first army quater was in st barbaras bks quite a number of blocks had been converted,the long corridoor still had the rifle racks]

When did the RSDG first appear Dan ? I remember being fed and watered (lagered) by the Officers Mess staff of the poor old 3rd Carbs when they were in Cyprus in '69. I'm just wondering what year it was that the Greys swallowed them up.
(Can anyone remember the name of that camp next to Dhekelia ? I can only think of Polemidhia).

1971...and it's SCOTS DG old chap, never RSDG.

brum wrote:

RTR, what were you doing in Hemer ?

3RTR were stationed there (Penis-in-Ursula Bks) from 88-92! We left Paderborn in 86 for Bovvy, Lulworth & Cyprus and while we were there this former Infantry Bks was converted to take an Armd Regt. So a brand new set of Hangars, Servicing bay, GTS etc were built to accomodate us, only to find in 92 on 'Options for Change' we were to vacate the place and move to Falling-Bar-Stool and amalgamate with 2RTR. A waste of money IMHO cos we should have stayed there, access to Soltau training area and Hohne Ranges was cited as the main reason we moved but very soon after we moved to Fally Soltau was closed down and was made ready for handover back to the 'Bosche'!

I`m trying to remember who was there when i was.
3RRF, 16 Tanks, 32 Regt RA (i think), 4/7 DG, 2 RTR, can`t remember any more, the grey matter isn`t as sharp as it was.

16 Tank Transporter Sqn were in Fally in the barracks next door to 7 Armd Wksp approx 79/80ish.

For me Fallingbostell was not a great posting. In 69 I flew from Luton to Hanover where I was given a rail warrant and told to find my own way to 20 Heavy Regt. So carrying my kit and worldly possessions I hiked down to the Hanover Railway station and caught a local train to Fallingbostel village. I left the station and asked a local for directions to the Lager. The reply, 2km that way. So off I plodded. About one km into my walk a German civilian driving an army ambulance took pity this lonely and burdened figure. He took me to the 20 Heavy Regt Guard Room. Which was just as well as the Fallignbostell complex consisted of three Barracks and there no signs to indicate which Regt lived in which one.
The Guard Room staff directed me to the REME WKSP which was about a quarter to half a mile down a narrow track outside of the main Barracks. In fact there were two WKSP. One occupied a modern building and looked after the 107 mm self propelled guns and some pretty impressive forklift trucks which were used to move ammunition. The second WKSP, which maintained soft skinned vehicles, occupied what looked like two pre war stable blocks separated by 20 yards of tarmac. The RAOC stores and offices occupied in one stable block and the WKSP occupied the other.
I reported to the office and was told that my arrival was unexpected. The Corporal Clark took me back up the track to the bedding store where I collected a mattress, blankets and sheets. Encumbered with this load I was taken to the second floor a barrack block occupied by REME and RAOC personnel where I was given a bed and told to take the rest of the day off.
That evening I met my new chums and was introduced to their principle pastime: drinking.
I looked round with some dismay at my new surroundings. There was no central heating in the barracks. Each room had a coke fire. Coke had to be carried up from the cellar. I subsequently discovered that it also ran out before the end of winter.
As a VMBE I was allocated work on soft skinned vehicles. There was a heating system in the WKSP, but it never worked and the German winters can be cold.
As I understood it, the collative job of this part of the army was to hold the Soviet’s for long enough for the rest of the army to take up positions behind the Rhine. As a result the Regt spent a lot of time in the field where their equipment took a bashing. The hours could be very long and combined with the cold it could be a bit wearing.
In order to break things up I often volunteered to go out with the Regts Border Patrols. In those days the Communists were still building the Iron Curtain – three meter high fence backed with mines and war dogs.
When building a section of wall, they would firstly build a tower on top of which they installed a Sniper with orders to shoot any East German soldier or civilian who fancied a life of freedom. In front of the work party they would position a patrol of professional as opposed to conscript solders.
On one occasion I recall we met one of these patrols, each man marked the other and in this way we stood toe to toe on the border for good ten to fifteen minutes. The only difference was that their rifles were fully loaded and our ammunition was two miles away in the back of a Land Rover; typical British Army.
Notwithstanding the risk, if just one on their soldiers decided that this was his chance for freedom we would have been in it for our lives, no one blinked and in the end it was they who withdrew. Possibly because they feared that given enough time one of their chaps just might just take a chance on freedom.
Dangers were not confined to the other side. I had a narrow brush with death when the floor of the WKSP gave way and a Stalwart I had just climbed out from under dropped into the void. Those in charge seemed more interested in the damage to the Stalwart that my narrow escape – by hey that is the way things were.
It was with some relief that I received a posting to 24 Missile Regt and their modern safer WKSP.
That said I never regretted my time at Fallingbostell or the army in general. It was a very great privilege to serve with men who, to use a quote from another age, when earths foundations fled, would have defended what God had abandoned and taken the sum of things for pay.
It was an experience.

Just four years later in September of 1973 my experience was somewhat different. I had duty transport to Wokingham train station from my unit in Arborfield (SEE) and after arriving at Waterloo and negotiating my way to Heathrow somehow, hopped on a plane to Hanover.

At Hanover there was a big white military bus which dropped me at the "meeting point" for new arrivals to Fallingbostel which was just by the SKC/YWCA shop.

There was a Cfn driver waiting for me and it was only a 5 minute drive to my new unit - 15/19th Kings Royal Hussars LAD REME at Wessex barracks.

There was real central heating in the barracks but there was still evidence of the old system of coal/coke fires etc from a bygone age.

I only served for nine years but Fallingbostel was by far my best posting without a doubt. I only stayed for eighteen months because of the training policy at the time ie eighteen months first line followed by eighteen months second line before returning to Arborfield for 1st Class training.

Latest two postings demonstrate that Effing B was definitely a "marmite posting" , you either loved the place or hated it (I never was permanently stationed there but passed through on Exercises etc many times over the years.)

Falli for me was 7th Arm'd Wkp 1971.  This was my 2nd Line VM training. I spent a year on the Stalli's.

Yep, we had the old coke fires in our block. Down to the celler with ones bucket if you wanted to keep warm.
Filled my old, never used, kitbag to the brim with coke and took it to my great Omi to be, each weekend at Hildesheim. Her need was greater than mine at the time! Heating against a good nosh up!

Only spent 1 yr at Falli. Thank god!

There will be at least two other people on this site who know me. 'Mum's/Mutti's the word.' Don't tell anyone!

Forty seven years on from 1971. Strange how one looks at life differently. For me, maybe I good have been kinder to the Mojo's and got them a box of fags when they so kindly asked. Knowing what I now know about what many of them had gone through. I would have been a bit softer all those years ago.

For me it was a narrow escape, my Regiment was posted to Fallinbostel in '71. Prior to it's deployment I was posted to Paderborn, turned out to be "Frying pan and fire", but that's another story.

Hi guys just found this site today What was wrong with Falli was there with the Greys from arrival in 63 till demob 68. Mind one did need a car

I served in Fallingbostel from 1959 to 1961 with 4 Fd Sqn RE, it was one of the best posting I had.

I served 15 years in the Fallingbostel triangle as REME in the 90s, followed by several years in the Paderborn triangle.

I bought a house in Fallingbostel circa 2000, and still live there now with my German wife.

Now working as a civilian in Sennelager, my fondest memories of Fallingbostel where the cheap restaurants and drinking establishments - 20 Deutsche Marks (£10) would do for a night out.

In my time 20DM was under £2 and you could have a very good night out with that

Bill71 wrote:

I served 15 years in the Fallingbostel triangle as REME in the 90s, followed by several years in the Paderborn triangle.

I bought a house in Fallingbostel circa 2000, and still live there now with my German wife.

Now working as a civilian in Sennelager, my fondest memories of Fallingbostel where the cheap restaurants and drinking establishments - 20 Deutsche Marks (£10) would do for a night out.

Bill, did you know a Tony Barber ((Ex WO Reme/ Civi at 7 Arm'd) in not too long ago?

I presume Falli is dead now for Ex Mil.  

Can I ask you which trade were you?  Are you in the trade at Senne?


Alan ex Reme and 7 Arm'd in early 1970's