Site Guard

I had hardly unpacked my bags in Fallingbostel 1965 when I found myself on a soul destoying fortnights holiday in Sennelager guarding something.

I see that on the Sennelager site there is the mention of SITE GUARD.But no interaction.

I know that I was locked into a compounded area for a couple of hours at a time and with real live bullets.

What was I really guarding? Can one say or might the 42 day rule cause a knock at the door.

What was the reasoning behind all units doing this. Was it really logical. I am assuming that it was not as a result of our CO losing a card game or suchlike.

Surely a unit dedicated to the guarding of something so important would have been more professional than strange bodies coming in for two weeks.

Is it still there. Is Sennelager still there in an army sense. Is it possible to view the site using google earth.

I was trying to locate the barracks we stayed in while not on the site guard. My mind tells me it was a Scottish lowland Infantry unit that was playing host. Well it was a trew wearing CSM I remember strangly cos he was WELSH. I feel it was the Black Watch but looking through the various barracks I dont see any Scottish unit listing.

Which barracks housed the visiting site guard or was that also taken in turn.

scarletman

scarletman wrote:

I had hardly unpacked my bags in Fallingbostel 1965 when I found myself on a soul destoying fortnights holiday in Sennelager guarding something.

I see that on the Sennelager site there is the mention of SITE GUARD.But no interaction.

I know that I was locked into a compounded area for a couple of hours at a time and with real live bullets.

What was I really guarding? Can one say or might the 42 day rule cause a knock at the door.

What was the reasoning behind all units doing this. Was it really logical. I am assuming that it was not as a result of our CO losing a card game or suchlike.

Surely a unit dedicated to the guarding of something so important would have been more professional than strange bodies coming in for two weeks.

Is it still there. Is Sennelager still there in an army sense. Is it possible to view the site using google earth.

I was trying to locate the barracks we stayed in while not on the site guard. My mind tells me it was a Scottish lowland Infantry unit that was playing host. Well it was a trew wearing CSM I remember strangly cos he was WELSH. I feel it was the Black Watch but looking through the various barracks I dont see any Scottish unit listing.

Which barracks housed the visiting site guard or was that also taken in turn.

scarletman

The location of the 'Site Guard' in Sennelager was behind (east) of Athlone Bks! All the buildings are still there, well they were in 97 as it was being used for NI trg! I suspect we all guarded the war heads for Lance or Honest John in the early days! As for the bks you stayed in they were most likely Barker but in those days it could have been Crocker or indeed Normandy!

scarletman wrote:

Is it still there. Is Sennelager still there in an army sense. Is it possible to view the site using google earth.

Ere tis!

Cheers mate,

Will in one of my sad ol fa*t moments have a look but am watching Torres playing for Spain. I do hope he doesnt do any cheating. He can be wonderful to watch.

again thanks

scarletman

73 Bty drew a short straw and got a Site Guard over Christmas in '83. I think that we stayed in Normandy Bks. Warheads for Lance, 155mm and 8" shells were kept there along with other US ammo. But they were moved around between sites on a regular basis so one never knew what was where. The "Site Guard" manned the outer perimeter whilst the Americans had control of the inner compound.

The high point in our tour of duty was when a group of Belgian SF on exercise mistook the site for their target and were nearly killed. Red faces and almost a diplomatic incident.

The low point was an horrific RTA of which more later........

From the Google Earth view - the left hand rectangle is the old SAS Site (americans in the guard room - Brits guarding the permieter - 4 towers), the bunkers shown to the right inside the red rectangle are the new Fwd Ammo Site which overlies the remains (but uses the old guard room) of the former Rocket Motor site. There was an even earlier site to guard (from the mid 50s) to the south of the red rectangle bordering on the current treeline.

That whole part highlighted on the Google aerial view formed the original Exerzierplatz for Geman cavalry based in Schloss Neuhaus and Paderborn pre turn-of-the-century and WW1 ! and was the earliest part of the trg area being set out in 1851 (the field trg area came later in 1892).

There was also a Site for Honest John warheads near Menden. The Canadians (SSM Bty RCA) did 6 months and the 50th Missile RA did the other 6. Was back in 2007 to have a look. Just a grassy patch in the woods now. Spent a lot of wasted hours there. As in Sennelager, Yanks on the inside us on the outside perimeter.

Acorn reminisces  Senne, the Site, Inspections   around 1965  (map picture in text has South at top of view)

http://www.intelligencemuseum.org/library.php scroll down to:

SENNELAGER SA SITE INSPECTION – APRIL OR MAY 1965

(the link is live so new data pushes the posts to new pages.)

Spotted this and thought " 9 years in between postings".

Records Offices (Posting authority) tried to weed out "BAOR Long Servers" at the five year point - unfair as in Sennelager/Paderborn you needed 7 years/5 children to move from a flat to a house. Nine years was exceptional even for cavalry units!

Hey!!!!!!! I'm over due for a house...

Hard Rations wrote:

Site Guard 10/12/2017, 15:30 Reply with quote
Hey!!!!!!! I'm over due for a house...

Looks like your luck is in:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-secretary-extends-housing-offer-to-veterans?

Me - I am looking for a Des. Res. in Akrotiri

Good choice Pborn4. I guess my UN tour won't qualify me.

One of my friends insists he saw an old documentary about Athlone (bbc?)and there was no fence line to direction of the pics above. Anyone aware of it?

Ammo Sites East of Diebesweg Sennelager - none are related with or linked to Athlone Barracks - except the QRF was often accommodated there. The red oblong (and other lines) on the diagram provided by Soprano54 (above) is just a map marking and follows no actual fence line. On that Satellite photo -the most easterly grey area is the current fenced ammo compound.

How about some history Tankie96 - show with whom/where you served; on your profile?

Hi Pborn4.
I should have been clearer above, I am aware that athlone was not directly involved with the ammo compound. My question was purely if anyone remembered the programme I referred to as I would like to see it.
On another question I have, when were the trees all planted there, as the area around the washdown I guess was just fields in the post war era, were they planted to cover the ammo compound from prying eyes?

Simply put the Forestry decides where plantations are to be placed in agreement with military managers.  Timelines:
1945  Diebesweg (N-S between Athlone and Ammo site) was a country lane between B1 Trunk Rd and Staumühle Lager meandering through the heath around a different range configuration.
1952/54  Athlone Barracks completed (Refurb 2004)
1963  First ammo compound inserted east of Paderbon Water Pumping station
1965  New compounds (2) completed and in-loaded 1 - 1,5 km East of Athlone.  Tree clearance at distances from compound to meet licence requirement, and timber beyond the periphery left until Forestry felling for crop sale.
1966  Southern Military Ring Rd inserted to service the ALMAs and keep TCV traffic out of Bad Lippspringe
1969/71  Tank Washdown at Athlone (there are 3 on trg area) to wash down traffíc in to Athlone or being transported on to B1

Pre 1990 1:25,000 & !:50,000 map sheets had blocks of woodland inserted to cover sensitive installations (not so the Range Map) after this date satellite imagery was on the market that could not be censored to the same extent.

Thanks for taking the time for the detailed reply!