Brixton (Richmond) Barracks

This barracks was the main Luftwaffe clothing depot whilst in its orignal owners hands.
I have also heard that it is as deep (if not deeper) as it is tall and that the bottom two floors were flooded after the war.
Now, after speaking with an eldery gentleman about the prison at Mossbank, he informed me that there was never a prison at Mossbank.
All the barracks in Bielefeld were named after places within Yorkshire, as there had been a Yorkshire division based in there after the war. Mossbank is a place in Yorkshire, he said. The only barracks to differ was Brixton.
When the barracks was a prison it was called Brixton, when it moved on to become a RAOC depot it was renamed Richmond.

"So, have a look at Mossbank and then Brixton and judge for yourself what appears to be a more adequate building", he said.

Quote :

Now, after speaking with an eldery gentleman about the prison at Mossbank, he informed me that there was never a prison at Mossbank.

Indeed there was prison in Mossbank Barracks, all be it the BAOR MCTC.

I currently work in Bldg 3 of Mossbank Barracks (now Rochdale Barracks) and have above my door a brass plaque commemorating the reassignment of the Barracks from an MCTC to a Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Workshop.

My first post, so please excuse me if i muck it up. I was posted to the medical equipment depot (DMED) at Richmond Barracks from 1974 - 1976. It was indeed originally called Brixton Barracks but the name was changed in 1975 after a visit from some general who thought our moral would improve if we didn't have to live in a place named after a prison. Never heard of the place being a prison though.
The barracks was an amazing place. We had the upper floors and the RAOC the rest. Our billets were rooms made out of chipboard built into one of the storehouses. To go to work i went out of the door, turned left and walked ten yards into my workplace. It was possible to get anywhere on the site without leaving the building. The whole place was a rabbit warren of storehouses passageways and fire escapes. I think i must have explored every inch of the place.
The famous cellars did exist. The lower ones were flooded, to hold the building up i was told as the place had been damaged by bombs in the war.
I never got any bad vibes in the cellars, but one storehouse in particular was very creepy and not a place that you wanted to stay in for long.
I have seen the pictures posted on this site and they don't half bring back some memories of staggering back from Maxis on Heeper Strasse, under the railway bridge and back in through gross tur zwie. It's good to see that the place is being used and recent pictures seem to show that the Germans are looking after it better than we ever did.
Thanks for setting up an excellent site.

At the request of the site owner I'm posting the text of an email to him in here:

Just to add some more info to the current page. I was posted there straight from commissioning and YOs course to Corps Stores Company RAOC in 1977. The barracks housed us (held everything from engines and major assemblies through entire hospitals (beds, pyjamas etc) to spare 175mm gun barrels) and we shared it with The HQ of the RAOC Corps Troops organisation (which also commanded Corp Troops Ordnance Company in Guetersloh and Corp Vehicle Company in Recklinghausen), Defence Medical Equipment Depot (DMED) and ancillaries like the barracky bills organisation (where I met my first fiancee, but not my first wife). As I understand it the Luftwaffe link was as a uniform production facility with a large amount of slave labour. There were a fair few underground levels, some of which were flooded and unaccessible. The WO's and Sgt's mess was here too but the single officers were housed in the Garrison Officers Mess in Cruewell Strasse (the Cruewell Haus - now nice looking flats). Corps Troops became 6 Bn RAOC, CTOC/61 Coy, CSC/62 Coy and CVC/63 Coy - I think! Regards Robin p.s. Great site by the way. Hope this is of help. Regards

And to add on - The Garrison Officers' Mess in Cruewel Strasse was the Gestapo HQ and my room was allegedly seriously haunted...I was 19 and found myself in the best room in the mess - eventually an older German mess serveant told me why. A Gestapo officer had hanged himself out of the bay window and Brit officer (Int I assume) had seen his brains off with a revolver in about the same place in '46 or 47. Before I was told this I saw things and had taken to sleeping with a bible under my pillow. And I am not now, and never have been, a religious or god-bothering person.

The cellar had the snooker table next to the wine cellar...a white tiled room with a sloping floor leading to a central drain and a wall mounted tap (like for a hosepipe). And a cell door with a way to look in, but not out. That was a scary place after dark.

This is very interesting stuff about the former MCTC (before that MCE in my day Military Corrective Establishment). I can't remember what the barracks was called, but I do remember that I was detailed to escort a surrendered escapee back there in February 1954! I remember that I was as shit scared as the prisoner was as we were admitted through double gates to a guard-room in a huge building on the left.

I was afterwards told that THIS was once the Gestapo prison. It even has barbed wire on the window grills!

There must be guys who have a better memory of where it was in relation to Ripon.

It's also interesting to hear that all the barracks in Bielefeld were named after towns in Yorkshire-never gave it a second thought before now!

Pretty sure Lesley Grantham spent time there after shooting the taxi driver

This all takes me back. I was based in Rheindahlen but worked in Richmond Barracks during the week from 1976-78. I was commissioned and posted to DMED 1978-1981 and lived some of the time in the Garrison Officers' Mess in Cruewell Strasse as well as in MQ in Wilhelm Busch Strasse.

The Garrison Officers' Mess building was very impressive but I never had any bad feelings around it. It always struck me as large family house that had fallen on hard times.

The Barracks had an interesting part where it had reputedly been bombed as part of an attack on the adjoining railway lines/bridge. You couldn't walk all the way through that part of the top floor and it had weight restrictions on the floor.

In my day... very early 80's there was a rail track outside the barracks, I was serving RAPC support to HQ 6 Ord Bn, 62 Coy RAOC were resident as was DMED and a gunners unit who flew the recon remote controlled aeroplane thingy's, new in their day.
We had a bar in one of the cellars, called curiously enough the 'Pig Bar'.
The cookhouse was not far from the Pig Bar and we could draw the keys for the cookhouse at the weekend for nine'o'clockers.
DMED by the way had the BAOR supply of medicinal alchohol, which went well with the medicinal orange juice.
The main man for 62 Coy by the way was a major coward, joke not intended, they took the Cambrian march trophy just before I got there.

Hi All
I put this detail on the Brixton Barracks post and now have transfered a copy to this correct one.

I was with 3 Army Field Survey Depot RE at Bielefeld from April 1959 through to September 1960 and was amoungst the last of National Service men.
The photos and information have brought back many memories of the place plus Officers Mess as I was Driver NCO and got around quite a bit.
In my day the main building was not fully used we occupied front section and part of side adjacent to railway.
First floor had a store of (reputed) 10 Million maps which was our main reasion for unit being there.
Our sleeping quarter's were adjacent.
Groud floor Officesand administration left of entrance arch.
Internal yard used for parking for vehicles fleet of 6 lorries, Champ and VW staff car.
Right of entrance MT office, store, Assembly hall & other stores.
Basement had Mess Hall always served a good standard of food almost individually cooked by civilian staff. It also had Naffi and NCO Club which was well used.
I have futher recollection of the Barracks, Bielefed and surronding area so I may post some futher memory's later.
I would be intersted to hear from any one of those who may have served with me and hope my post is of interest.
Yours
Peter

DMED moved to Brixton Barracks Bielefeld from Rheindahlen, where it was titled AMED, during 1968/9 if memory servers correctly. It was a major task to move all the equipment taking ten 10 tonner vehicles per day for 2 weeks to accomplish it.

Interesting to note that there is no mention of AMED which was situated on the main crossroads of the village of Rheindahlen, not at the main head quarters. The warehouse site is still visible on Google with a very similar layout to that which I remember from 1967.

Perhaps a new location for this unit in Rheindahlen can be started by those members who have a better memory that I.