Information about the BAOR in the Gronau area of Germany

Dear reader,

My name is Timothy Aarbodem, 24 years old and I'm from The Hague, The Netherlands. The following is quite a personal and perhaps difficult story, but I hope you'll understand and perhaps even can give me some information.

I'm looking for information about the BAOR regiment that was stationed in the area of Gronau, Germany in the period of 1947-1949, specifically the year 1948. I'm curious to know if there's information about the regiment(s) that was stationed there in terms of name, contacts, records, anything.

The reason why I'm looking for this is the following. My parents and I are looking for my 'unknown grandfather', the father of my father. His mother, a lady from The Hague, was working at the border of Enschede (The Netherlands) and Gronau (Germany) in the period of 1947-1949. She met a British soldier when she was working over there and had a short romance with him. When the soldier found out she was pregnant of him, he fled/deserted to the Russian zone in 1948. The Military Police even offered to look for him and get him back, but she declined.

Last August, my father and I went to London and the National Archives hoping to gain more information, unfortunately with no results. However, later we heard that there are records hidden away, and they should have told us about it at the archives. We're still in the process of gaining more info about those records. We were trying to find a record there about desertions in Gronau in the period of 1948.

We understand that it's a difficult story and we don't have that many details about the specific man we're looking for. But I'm hoping through this forum someone can clear up some things about the regiment. It would be another piece of the puzzle.

Thanks in advance.
Greetings,

Timothy Aarbodem

Tim

Welcome

Hopefully someone may be able to help you

My main interests are further north in Schleswig Holstein and I am afraid that I have little relevant information. I was however stationed in Munster in the late 1960s and Enschede was a very popular destination for off duty soldiers (and their wives) from the British Garrison.

What you are looking for is the Historical Record for the Brigade Headquarters responsible for the Munster area in 1948. These are indeed held in the British National Archives in Kew, London.

Welcome Tim

The tracing of personnel is an extremely difficult process; I am researching the early days of BAOR units and the level of command with JPW, with a first priority the former 1st Corps District area up to disbandment 1 Jul 47

In 1947 the responsibility for Regierungsbezirk Münster was 7th Armoured Brigade of 7th Armoured Division, on the division’s disbandment Jan 48, the area passed to 6th (Highland) Infantry Brigade of 2nd Infantry Division and I have the orders of battle for Regierungsbezirk Münster showing all units

Sorry to say no units recorded for Gronau, you need to look up the historical records for 7th Armoured Brigade and 6th (Highland) Infantry Brigade for the period you are looking at, however there is no guarantee the subject is recorded, JPW and myself have found many incomplete records

If you wish to employ a full time researcher to go to Kew on your behalf can put you in touch, please send me a private message

Best of luck

Hi JPW and Steve,

Thanks a lot for your replies! I was looking a bit into the area of Gronau and saw that Münster is indeed the closest larger city. And Münster is only a full hour away from Enschede, so that makes sense. Anyway, your information definitely is helpful for me. I shall discus the matter with my parents, I'll see them tonight and I've heard that they've got a letter from the Ministry of Defense on why it is so difficult. Thanks again! We'll look into it.

All the best,
Tim

By the way, some additional info.

On my request my dad took a DNA-test, looking for data about his ancestry. The results showed that he indeed has British/Irish ancestry, for 52%. For 13% it was Italian, Sicilian to be exact, perhaps that is the Roman influence from way back? And the rest was just 'general European'.

We always thought it could have been some Indian influences, because my dad and I both have a somewhat darker skin than 'usual' and dark hair, my dad still has a darker tone than me and his hair was black when he still had colour. But that was not the case.

I've looked a bit into it and I understand that people from the south of the UK and Wales have these traits as well, do you think that might be a possibility? (That there is some Welsh influence). Is it perhaps known that there were Welshmen stationed in Münster?

Tim

I admire the efforts you family has gone to try and identify your grandfather.

I have had another thought about what you have posted on this site.

Any evidence of your grandfather's existence will be held in the WO 267 Unit Quarterly Historical Records Sequence of Files in the National Archives in Kew. This contains some 650 Files but there are many gaps. As Steve has commented the information and amount of detail there in varies enormously. Generally for the Brigade Headquarters there will be a three/four page narrative with lists of the units under command, changes of major personalities within the Brigade, VIP Visitors, major Training Exercises and Sporting achievements. This would have been compiled by consolidating the shorter, perhaps two pages, documents submittted by the individual units under command. I doubt whether the situation in respect of your grandfather would have been recorded in these documents.

I have had a quick look at the National Archives Index accessed through their Discovery Portal and this indicates that some but not all of the 7 Armoured and 6 Infantry Brigade documents are held but none of the individual Regiments under command. In addition there were a number of Support and Logistic (Signals, Transport. Stores and Repair)units in the Munster area but I cannot identify the relevant units and corresponding files

In addition to the Munster Garrison Steve may be able to confirm a British military presence in Dulmen equally close to Enschede/Gronau.

An added complication is that another contributor to this site has passed me brief details of a large camp to house Ukrainian Mennonite refugees in Gronau at this time. This was a UNRRA responsibility (with significant Canadian involvement) but there is some evidence that the British Army may have been involved in the provision of food rations (however details of the personnel involved will be virtually impossible to identify.

Regarding the DNA test, there was a significant influx of immigrants from the poorer areas of Italy in the later years of the 19th Century and early 20th Century. Hardworking and adaptable they moved all over Great Britain. The son of one such immigrant from the North East of England was awarded the Victoria Cross in January 1945 for an act of supreme bravery in which he was killed (he is buried in the British Military Cemetery in Sittard). Your grandfather could have come therefore from anywhere in Great Britain.

I will contact you privately with some other thoughts.

Tim

Regierungsbezirk Münster meaning the region of Münster had the following towns occupied by BAOR units in 1948

Major Units
Warendorf
HQ 7th Armoured Brigade to Sep 48
Münster
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards to Sep 48
22nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA

Minor Units
Münster
Warendorf
Gievenbeck
Ahlen
Telgate Telgte
Selm
Ochtrup
Bork
Burgsteinfurt
Rheine
Westercappeln
Mark Hamm
Mecklenbeck
Borken
Hiltrup

Hope this helps