National Service Memories of Osnabruck

Hello all,

From the main sites Imphal/Mercer Barracks page:

Quote :

"Situated in Dodesheide just outside Osnabrück itself, on the way to Belm these barracks, I presume, were built by the local German workforce on behalf of the British, during the second half of the 1940's, early 1950's. It certainly does not show any of the panache that Belfast or Roberts Barracks display. Indications point to a governement with struggling economies and extremely tight budget - post war. It is also though that the barracks were built to accommodate an infantry regiment (Mercer) and an armoured regiment (Imphal). Although the barracks were physically joined with no defined boundary between them, Imphal was for armoured regiments whilst Mercer was home to an infantry battalion. each had it's own Guardroom and NAAFI. Over the years the units mentioned below have belonged to 12 Armoured Brigade, 4 Armoured Brigade and now 4 Mechanised Brigade. Any further information would be appreciated."

Well, I have some further information... I apologise in advance for the lengthy post!

Whilst on leave in my native Middlesbrough I recently had an interesting conversation with a REME old boy with regard to Osnabruck. The man in question is now 89 years young so please don't shoot me down in flames if some of the following is factually incorrect or sketchy - I'm simply relating an old soldiers memories. Here is what he remembers from his National Service time in the garrison, he arrived there sometime around 1949:

After serving a few years in the Merchant Navy 'Span' was called up (volunteered?) to do his stint of National Service. At the time many working class men from Teesside were employed in the local steelworks, shipyards and other such heavy industries. Anyone with such a background was a prime candidate for the REME or RE. Span and many of his Teesside peers found themselves in the REME as they had a 'technical' background. After their training was completed Span and a few of his mates were posted to Osnabruck. They sailed from Harwich to the Hook of Holland and travelled by train to their destination.

On arrival they were accommodated in Scarborough Bks, although their place of work was to be 'the new camp'. The new camp - being Imphal/Mercer - was insecure as there was no perimeter fence and aside from that, much of the infrastructure was in it's infancy. The early workshops were however in place and useable for heavy armour repair tasks. The camp was situated in an area that had been cleared of pine wood and heathland. Travel to and from work was in B vehicles.

Span remembers the camp/building site was a hive of industry every day - the work-force being a mixture of local Germans and immigrants (many Polish). At the time the Brits were very security conscious and if permitted to leave camp (Scarborough Bks), it was in uniform. Span had met a local girl (from Wellendorf) whose husband had been killed on the Russian Front and left behind two young daughters. When visiting Wellendorf he used to leave camp with his kit bag packed with civvies. He used to get changed at the train station (Hauptbahnhof?) and give the station master his kit bag (containing his uniform) for safe-keeping in exchange for cigarettes. On his return to camp, he would obviously get changed back into uniform. Span enjoyed a whole host of activities with his Fraulein (and kids) when off duty. He was quickly taught to speak German by his girlfriend so that he could blend into the local areas - primarily for his own safety more than anything, such a short while after WWII. He did receive a couple of beatings when locals picked up on the fact that he was English, though this did not deter him from seeing his girlfriend.

On the work front, he was mainly a driver for the REME and his routine was, more often than not, 2 runs a week to Hamburg (overnight stops at Hannover) to collect large spares required for tank repairs. He referred to his boss as 'The CREME'. He became friendly with one of the Polish workers who also assisted him with his German - in exchange for cigarettes. I asked what unit he was with but he could not remember anything, other than it was a tank regiment (Centurion) and the unit flash was some sort of armoured fist.

When his time was up at Osnabruck he (1952 ish?) he pleaded with his CREME to let him stay as he did not want to leave his true love and by now 'adopted' daughters who called him 'Vati'. He offered to stay there forever as a Private, but was refused and shortly after posted on to Gibraltar. He looked at the possibilities of getting out and settling there, but there was no work for an Englander to be had - especially an ex sailor/driver with no trade. That said, however, some of his mates (from Teesside) had also met with local girls and did 'get out' in Osnabruck - the ex-steelworkers re-located themselves to 'The Pott' - Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Essen etc. They literally walked into very well-paid jobs as the Germans were crying out for experienced steelworkers and coke oven workers. These men quickly settled into the German way of life.

Span tried to get back to Germany from Gibraltar, but failed, the letters from Wellendorf became fewer and fewer until they stopped. Span was distraught. He later met a Spanish woman ("never did like English women") and married her - hence the nickname 'Span', short for Spanish. After de-mob he re-joined the merchant Navy and took his Spanish wife back home to Middlesbrough (poor woman).

Some interesting recollections there from an old REME boy, I hope that the facts he related about the military side of life may help to fill in some gaps. I would also be interested to know how many of the men who settled in the Pott still live - if any. Presumably there will be some English names from their descendants in the phone books.

The Polish builder Span befriended, now lives in the Teesside area too - apparently, during one of their many conversations, the Pole decided he would like to live in Middlesbrough. He claimed that he had smuggled himself into the country in the early 1950's, passed himself off as a former Polish/German POW and ended up getting UK citizenship... only to end up working in... yep, you guessed it - British Steel!

Archie

What an interesting story Archie, and it all seems to tally with my early memories of Germany as a lad.

Very interesting Archie,

I'm currently researching a bit of my Dads national Service time spent in Osnabruck,
He travelled from the Hook of Holland and ended up in Dodesheide Camp,then transferred to Mercers Barracks,he says the camp was on high ground,ideal for Anti-Aircraft 88's.

My Dad left the Barracks when he was appointed batman to a LT-Colonel and moved into the LT Colonels house on Lonsweg just off Lienesweg with the local Kranenhaus,HOSPITAL behind.

On his time off he learnt German and had a good look around the town,intergrated with the locals and found himself a local bar where he was welcomed.
If he was with mates from A-Troop,G-Batterry it was a different story,he was allowed in if he chose to,but his mates in British uniform were not,so he'd leave with his mates to go to another pub,which i'm trying to find the location of.

The Regular pub he met his mates in was on Rulleweg,to get back to the LT Colonels he had to come down Rulleweg joining a main road leading to town,but cross over to take a short cut by a block of flats.
7 years after the end of the War and there was a large crater in the middle of the flats,apparently an allied plane had crashed and no one had yet gotten around to clearing up.

At the present time i'm looking up information on early 1950's Osnabruck,while my Dad keeps remembering more ,so its an interesting phase.

Hello all,

Further to my post above iv'e managed to find out some information on the pub on Rulleweg in Osnabruck where my Dad used to go during his National Service in the late 1940's.

The pub was located in Rulleweg,and was called Adler,[Eagle],at the enterance just inside the door hung 7 foot curtains a throwback to the air-raids the town of Osnabruck had suffered a couple of years earlier.

The pub was owned by a Herr Fair,and had a semi-circular bar,the head waiter was a chap called Turkish Johnnie who had lived in Germany for years and had at one time just after the outbreak of the 2nd World War been imprisoned by the Gestapo.


Turkish Johnnie could speak and understand English well and just after the British Army of the Rhine set up in Osnabruck Johnnie was taken on as a cook.

My Dad went on 16 days leave and when he returned to Osnabruck,and the Adler pub,Herr Fair and Turkish Johnnie had left,the Blackout curtains had gone,and the pub had been modernised,new furniture,tables and chairs and a change in personel,so he never went back there again.

Does anyone else recall the Eagle pub,on Rulleweg,in Osnabruck?

I never really went into town drinking in my time there 60/61, there was a minor resurgence of right-wing thinking amongst some Germans and lots of the old-town area was out of bounds, surprisingly the gigantic bunker/HQ in the town centre is still there apparentyly it is too big to blow up, they are waiting a hundred years or so for the concrete to degrade before drilling it out.
Went to some great German pubs a few miles from Imphal Bks and of course "Georges" pub near the "new" married quarters which was almost totallly a squaddie pub.
The barracks is verly clear on Google Earth and when I was at the REME hotel in 2008, was assured that the REME Workshops was still there and in operation. Do not recognise the Flash as described, I was with 16/5th QRL LAD and previous to us the tank regiment was 3rd Carbineers. Must look on web now for street map of Osnabruck and lo0ok up Rulleweg.

Hi Malaboman,iv'e looked for Rulleweg on Google Earth and Osnabruck street maps and it looks like theres a possibility the street,or Way,[Weg] has been renamed.

I have a couple of hand drawn maps and it looks like a main road leading to Dodesheide camp and also town is shaped like a half moon,with Rulleweg branching off on the left hand side in a North Westerly direction.

Iv'e also a couple of photos i'll try to put up at some point,Johnnie the Turk,The Boys of L Sub Royal Horse Artillary dated 1948,and one from Larkhill.

I've just spent some time studying Google Earth and its associated road plan, also had a look at a detailed street plan of Osnabruck.
In the town centre there is a Rullen weg (not Rulle Weg) near the Konrad Adenauer Ring.
I guess the Rulle Weg you know is/was in Dodesheide? the barracks are bordered by Vehrter Landweg (K316) on the north, Am Limberg on the West ans Ickerweg on the S. West.
I've traced all the streets I knew (staggered along!) in Dodesheide and found a few pubs there and a fantastic place I used to frequent in Haste (Try walking back from there in the early hours after Carnival, !!!).
If you can give me clearer directions for Rulle Weg I should be able to trace it.

Memorial wrote:

Hello all,

Further to my post above iv'e managed to find out some information on the pub on Rulleweg in Osnabruck where my Dad used to go during his National Service in the late 1940's.

The pub was located in Rulleweg,and was called Adler,[Eagle],at the enterance just inside the door hung 7 foot curtains a throwback to the air-raids the town of Osnabruck had suffered a couple of years earlier.

The pub was owned by a Herr Fair,and had a semi-circular bar,the head waiter was a chap called Turkish Johnnie who had lived in Germany for years and had at one time just after the outbreak of the 2nd World War been imprisoned by the Gestapo.


Turkish Johnnie could speak and understand English well and just after the British Army of the Rhine set up in Osnabruck Johnnie was taken on as a cook.

My Dad went on 16 days leave and when he returned to Osnabruck,and the Adler pub,Herr Fair and Turkish Johnnie had left,the Blackout curtains had gone,and the pub had been modernised,new furniture,tables and chairs and a change in personel,so he never went back there again.

Does anyone else recall the Eagle pub,on Rulleweg,in Osnabruck?

I remember the Eagle pub very well, they did a great Zigeuner [sp] snitzel, last dropped in during my hols in 2006, Ian.

Ian,

Can you give me a location for the pub?

Paul.

malaboman wrote:

I've just spent some time studying Google Earth and its associated road plan, also had a look at a detailed street plan of Osnabruck.
In the town centre there is a Rullen weg (not Rulle Weg) near the Konrad Adenauer Ring.
I guess the Rulle Weg you know is/was in Dodesheide? the barracks are bordered by Vehrter Landweg (K316) on the north, Am Limberg on the West ans Ickerweg on the S. West.
I've traced all the streets I knew (staggered along!) in Dodesheide and found a few pubs there and a fantastic place I used to frequent in Haste (Try walking back from there in the early hours after Carnival, !!!).
If you can give me clearer directions for Rulle Weg I should be able to trace it.

There is also a Ruller Strasse to the north of Mercer/Imphal (about 3.5km as the crow flies), and a Ruller Weg to the west about 2.5km).

On a map I have just received, it shows part of Ruller Weg close to the centre of Osnabruck, and this now seems to be called Sessnitzer Weg.

Paul.

My 2.08 pm post seems to have not registered,but thanks for the interest chaps,

Iv'e misplaced my origional hand drawn map so i'm currently moving heaven and earth to try to locate it,while looking i did have a pleasant surprise in finding a couple of verses to the song Lily Marlein,wrote in German and given to my Dad by a German girl Fraulein Kruger in 1948.I also have the English translation.

I'll carry on looking and also try to find more information,i do wonder if Ruller Strasse is the street and iv'e read it wrong,coming home from the Eagle for my Dad involved short cuts in a south Easterly direction if i recall correctly.

The area i suppose would have been still pretty devastated from the bombing,but he does say that along the short cut from the Eagle he had to pass a block of flats with a large crater in the middle,local Germens said an RAF plane areoplane had crashed there.
The thing here is i'm not sure at this moment in time whether his short cuts home are to Mercer Barracks or Lonsweg where he lived with the Lieutenant Colonels family,

I need to do some serious searching and researching,

Memorial wrote:

..........coming home from the Eagle for my Dad involved short cuts in a south Easterly direction if i recall correctly.......

......The thing here is i'm not sure at this moment in time whether his short cuts home are to Mercer Barracks or Lonsweg where he lived with the Lieutenant Colonels family..........

If he was going from the Adler to Mercer, depending on whereabouts on Ruller Weg the place was, he would be heading in an easterly to south-easterly direction.

If it was to Lonsweg, he would have had a fair walk (if the pub is where it is thought to be), about 4kmin a south to south-south-west direction.

Looking at the map I now have, there does not seem to be a Krankenhaus as such, but there Scarborough Barracks is very close by, and it shows a Frauenklinik on the corner of Lienschweg and Caprivi Strasse

Hi Paul,thanks for taking an interest,

Iv'e found the map,alongside a Mailed Fist badge,i'm not an expert on things military but i thought Mailed Fist was worn by a Tank arm of the Army.
Anyway,i'll try to get this hand drawn map copied and posted up as it confuses me a little bit,it may interest someone and alongside a couple of other photos tells a small story of a British soldiers National Service.

The confusing thing is the pubs location is top left on the map,on Rulleweg[maybe a spelling mistake],at the bottom of the Rulleweg it joins a main road shaped lika a half moon,at its western most point,

Adjacent to the point where Rulleweg meets the main road off to the right is the British Army cinema,underneath is the YMCA,

Going back to Rulleweg joining the main road,at the top of the main road is labled Camp,to the left of Camp is a main road and Forest.

I hope i'm not causing confusion here,but back to the point where Rulleweg[Rullerweg?]joins the main road,my Dads route took him down the main road,South,for a short distance to some flats on the left,where the RAF plane had made a huge crater,i'll have a look through my Bomber Command books to look that incident up.

Veering off the main road left,the short cut was at the back of the flats/crater and zig-zagged towards the Town Centre,and Barracks is labled underneath,but i'm confused as to where the Barracks fit in,whether to the above description,or the map of the Colonels house which i'll describe in a moment,or this is one map with the Eagle pub top left,Barracks and LT Colonels house bottom right,

Now the area of the LT Colonels house is described,i'm not sure if its a continuation of his pub walks home or a completely different map,
This confused me at first as my handrawn map,is sideways on to how the ground view on google earth is,
Iv'e Lonsweg,with only a dozen or so houses on,it looks like behind the third house on the right there is some space,like a farm and out buildings set up,but according to my map it was a school,so i may have found the LT Colonels house where my Dad lived,
At the bottom of Lonsweg it joins Lienesweg,turning left is the Krankenhaus at what looks like the bottom of Lienesweg,
Thanks again for taking an interest as everything i look up and learn about helps to build up an interesting personel story,

You can always scan it and send it to my e-mail address, if you wish.

I will take another look at my map to see if anything you have written ties in.

Paul.

P.S. Does the badge look like the one here:-

https://bfg-locations.editboard.com/general-f148/photo-upload-new-instruction-t819.htm

Paul,

Pretty close,black background,black thread splitting up the fingers,hand and gauntlet,
The only difference is my badge has two extra sections of gold thread on the palm joining with the thumb,index finger on my badge slightly smaller,

2 sections of material,thin material on the back.
Do you think its genuine?

Paul,
i'll try to get a couple of photos up in the next couple of days,

PS,apparently in Osnabruck 1948 there was still a Goering Strasse,i suppose they had'nt gotten around to renaming the street.

Iv'e just noticed the writing on the back of the waiter Johnnie the Turks photo,i'm not sure if its the address included,but its in German with English translation,

Name in Turkish?
Waiter Osnabruck

Haste[Heista]......Rulleweg 55,

[img]

Memorial wrote:

Iv'e just noticed the writing on the back of the waiter Johnnie the Turks photo,i'm not sure if its the address included,but its in German with English translation,

Name in Turkish?
Waiter Osnabruck

Haste[Heista]......Rulleweg 55,

Ruller Weg is in the Haste District of Osnabruck.

Paul

Cheers Paul,

iv'e created a photobucket account,all photos are on it,now i'm trying to work out how to transfer them,

Hi Memo
Go into your photobucket account left click on your picture you want to use here.
On the left you will see share this image
Right click on IMG code chose select all
Right click again chose copy
Return to this site right click and paste
like this

Hope this helps

Map of Eagle pub top left,route back down Rulleweg to join the main road,South to flats with crater caused by crashed RAF aeroplane,round the back of the buildings,short cut home to Lonsweg,i think.

Johnnie the Turk,head waiter at the Adler[Eagle]Osnabruck.


Many thanks to Paul and Jerry.

Die Deutches Arbeitsfront,ration book from a worker registered at Krefield,the stamps run out in August 1943 when i presume the person was a casualty in an air raid,in the early 1990's an attempt was made with the help of agencies in Germany to return the book to its owner or his family,which unfortunately failed.

The badge is the Mailed Fist.

5th Regiment Royal Horse Artilery at Larkhill prior to moving on to Osnabruck.
abruck.