Fallingbostel

Does anyone have any photos of the old officers mess which was burned down after the liberation of the POW camps? Is it true that it would have faced the Boar pub?

Fred Flintstone wrote:

Does anyone have any photos of the old officers mess which was burned down after the liberation of the POW camps? Is it true that it would have faced the Boar pub?

The only photo of the mess I've seen was in a book called 'The Heidemark' written by a German called Baumann. It was opposite the 'Hairy Pig', stone from that building was used in the construction of Lumsden and Wessex Bks Officers Messes!

Talking about stone.
I was speaking to a mate of mine the other day and he told me about the cobbled road that ran in between the two camps. It has only just been laid over with tarmac (last couple of years or so). Anyhow, cut a long story short, it was laid by our boys in Stalag XI B. The fiery Jock that headed up the work party had supposedly instructed the boys to fit the cobbles upside down to give the Jarmens as bumpy a ride as possible. He might be right there. I used to wonder how long my suspension would last on the approach to camp.
The other little rumour I heard was about the guard room for the infantry battalians (lately - Highlanders, BW, RHF etc - not sure of the exact MB number) on St Babaras Barracks had a morgue and also examination table in the cellar (like the one shown on the Glynn Hughes - Hohne page). The guard commander would have great delight in sending his young Toms down there in the dead of night, telling them it was part of their duty to check on it!

I was stationed at Fally 69-71 Raoc stores section 20heavy reg RA. We had to go down the cobbled road to the Stores Section,When we scraped the walls in our accomadtion there was big German writing on the walls we knew it was something to do with the S.S.No cental heating then just a stove. What a place.

Fred Flintstone wrote:

Does anyone have any photos of the old officers mess which was burned down after the liberation of the POW camps? Is it true that it would have faced the Boar pub?

Here is a pic from the ruins looking over towards Queens Avenue, to the left of the 'Hairy Pig!!!

i remember fally well it was my first posting in germany,my regt [15/19H ]took over from the RSDGS ,in nov 1969,freezing cold,two man rooms pot belly stoves and coal briquets in the cellar, troops of this era must know lumpy jaws at the x roads. as for the cobbled rds my late uncle was a pow in fally, and his story was the pows laid the cobbles upside down to try and rip the tyres to shreds.

dandc wrote:

i remember fally well it was my first posting in germany,my regt [15/19H ]took over from the RSDGS ,in nov 1969,freezing cold,two man rooms pot belly stoves and coal briquets in the cellar, troops of this era must know lumpy jaws at the x roads. as for the cobbled rds my late uncle was a pow in fally, and his story was the pows laid the cobbles upside down to try and rip the tyres to shreds.

'Lumpy Jaw' aka Klaus ran the 'Weehouse' which is now a second hand car place! When I joined my Regt (3RTR) in 75 one of the first fatigues I did was clearing out the cellars of all the old coal, which was mostly dust!

I remember those cobbles well, gave a really rough ride in any military vehicle and not much better in a car. You couldn`t ride a bike on them they would have destroyed it.
The roughest part for me was the bit that ran past the rail heads just before the junction with the Fally- Oerbke road.

Talking of Fally.
Any one recall the little peddle boats that were for hire at a boat shed by the river.Me and my mates used to go on these things on a regular basis in the summer.
I`m sure we almost reached Soltau on more than one occasion, by going much further up river than we were supposed to.
Great times, and cheap, too.

soprano54 wrote:

dandc wrote:

i remember fally well it was my first posting in germany,my regt [15/19H ]took over from the RSDGS ,in nov 1969,freezing cold,two man rooms pot belly stoves and coal briquets in the cellar, troops of this era must know lumpy jaws at the x roads. as for the cobbled rds my late uncle was a pow in fally, and his story was the pows laid the cobbles upside down to try and rip the tyres to shreds.

'Lumpy Jaw' aka Klaus ran the 'Weehouse' which is now a second hand car place! When I joined my Regt (3RTR) in 75 one of the first fatigues I did was clearing out the cellars of all the old coal, which was mostly dust!

Remember the weehouse well. Fallingbostel was my first posting (15/19th KRH) in 1973.

Welcome Telymech good to see another reme on the site, cant have the scaleys and gunners having a majority.

BobG

Thanks for the welcome Bob. Theres some quite interesting info here but it takes a while to wade through it all.

I`ve been out since 1981 and the memory is fading now.

BobG wrote:

Welcome Telymech good to see another reme on the site, cant have the scaleys and gunners having a majority.

BobG

Welcome Telymech - only two (Regular) Gunners at the moment but we do like to be noticed!!

Thanks Shelldrake.

I never served with an artillery unit but I have a short story which may/may not amuse you.

In around 1973 just before I embarked for Fally, I was selected to do something called "Satisfied Soldier" in Leeds. All we had to do was turn up at the recruiting office where we first signed up for a few days and do some PR work. There were only two of us the other chap being RA.

My problem was that I`d forgotten to bring any kind of head dress with me, not even a beret, and as we were to be wearing No2 dress I was slightly in the poo.

On the second day we both toddled along to Hyde Park in Leeds where there was an Army recruiting tent at a show. My RA oppo offered to lend me one of his twat hats as he`d brought all his kit with him. The only problem was going to be the cap badge so I just held the twat hat under my arm disguising the badge.

It all turned out well though as after mingling around the tent for half an hour we both did a runner to the nearby Hyde Park pub and spent 3 hours sampling Tetleys bitter.

People kept buying us drinks for some reason. Probably because there weren`t that many soldiers around at the time wearing full parade dress.

Shelldrake it must be all the noise you Gunners make that gives the impression that there are many more of you.

BobG

BobG wrote:

Shelldrake it must be all the noise you Gunners make that gives the impression that there are many more of you.

BobG

Well they do need six men to do one man's job!

soprano54 wrote:

BobG wrote:

Shelldrake it must be all the noise you Gunners make that gives the impression that there are many more of you.

BobG

Well they do need six men to do one man's job!

Bitch!!

Rejoining this net I notice a certain uppityness in the ranks of the junior regiments.
I suspect, Sheldrake, that they've noticed how thinned our ranks are and thought they'd try their luck.
Having glanced at the news item on the rehearsal for Thatcher's funeral I will just say that , without the Gunners, The Iron Lady's coffin would be getting transported in a ................., (enter as appropriate).

brum wrote:

Rejoining this net I notice a certain uppityness in the ranks of the junior regiments.
I suspect, Sheldrake, that they've noticed how thinned our ranks are and thought they'd try their luck.
Having glanced at the news item on the rehearsal for Thatcher's funeral I will just say that , without the Gunners, The Iron Lady's coffin would be getting transported in a ................., (enter as appropriate).

My suspicions also old bean, it doesn't do them any harm to be reminded of their place from time to time!


I am off to warmer climes later today but I shall be on listening watch.

Boozer in Fally.

Bit of a long shot but does anybody remember the Feldschlossen pub from the mid 70`s?

I`ve seen some pics of a place called the "Copper Kettle" run by a guy called John Lacey for a while and it looks very like it.

Could it have been renamed sometime?

Other drinking establishments of that era were:

The Ratskellar (Run by Forte who also had a minicab business)

The Amstof

The Lowenbrau

The Ruckself (Rucksack)

The Weehouse (already mentioned)

Telymech wrote:

Boozer in Fally.

Bit of a long shot but does anybody remember the Feldschlossen pub from the mid 70`s?

I`ve seen some pics of a place called the "Copper Kettle" run by a guy called John Lacey for a while and it looks very like it.

Could it have been renamed sometime?

Other drinking establishments of that era were:

The Ratskellar (Run by Forte who also had a minicab business)

The Amstof

The Lowenbrau

The Ruckself (Rucksack)

The Weehouse (already mentioned)

Telymech the 'Copper Kettle' is situated opposite and just up to the left of what was the Lowenbrau, which is/was still a restaurant serving Balkan type food. The Feldschlossen is now called the La trattoria:- http://la-trattoria.de/Bildergalerie/

Thanks very much for the info soprano54. . They grey matter has got a little confused there.

I mainly went to the Feldy for nights out and then on to the Ratskeller when it closed.

I was only in Fally for around 18 months and never went back except briefly when I was on the Clansman installation team in 79/80 and stayed in the transit block at Wessex. I think the Coldstream Guards were there then.

Went into town one night and saw Rita and Sid at the [Ratskeller] renamed to the Friendship.

Rita was the waitress at the Feldy and Sid was 42 Heavy in 73/74 and was more than surprised to find them both running it.

Telymech wrote:

Thanks very much for the info soprano54. . They grey matter has got a little confused there.

I mainly went to the Feldy for nights out and then on to the Ratskeller when it closed.

I was only in Fally for around 18 months and never went back except briefly when I was on the Clansman installation team in 79/80 and stayed in the transit block at Wessex. I think the Coldstream Guards were there then.

Went into town one night and saw Rita and Sid at the [Ratskeller] renamed to the Friendship.

Rita was the waitress at the Feldy and Sid was 42 Heavy in 73/74 and was more than surprised to find them both running it.

Always a pleasure.................never a chore! To be honest I can't remember the Ratskeller nor the Rucksack, probably named differently during my time in 'Falling-Bar-Stool' Dec 75 - Jul 76, Jul 92 - Sep 02, Jun 05 - Jul 07. See pic for Lowenbrau and Feldy LOCSTATS:-

Thanks again. Don`t know how I could confuse the Feldy with the Copper Kettle as the Feldy is obviously much bigger.

Ta for the map. Gets everything in perspective now.

The Ratskeller (as the name suggests) was just up the road from the Rathaus. Don`t think it was very popular as it was a bit bit of a dive even by squaddies standards and never went in much before 2.00 AM.

I see the Lowenbrau is now known as the Hotel Karpinski.








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Telymech wrote:

Thanks again. Don`t know how I could confuse the Feldy with the Copper Kettle as the Feldy is obviously much bigger.

Ta for the map. Gets everything in perspective now.

The Ratskeller (as the name suggests) was just up the road from the Rathaus. Don`t think it was very popular as it was a bit bit of a dive even by squaddies standards and never went in much before 2.00 AM.

I see the Lowenbrau is now known as the Hotel Karpinski.

I think 'The Ratskeller' is now called 'Die Tageszieten':- http://www.restaurant-die-tageszeiten.de/, take a look at the pics on their site and it's just up from where the old Rathaus was. What was the 'Lowenbrau' has always been part of a hotel, the entrance to the restaurant is under the white awning!