Carnarvon Bks

Camp has now been flattened apart from the Sgt's mess area due to the expansion of the airport . Does anyone know of it's history?

Apparently surrounding fields were first used by Zeppelin LZ-III in 1909 with the airport itself opening in April 1927 after two years of construction.

At that time the Germans were still not allowed to have their own air force and as the buildings look as if they are from that period, I would have guessed that the camp was built as the military part of the airport. The same sort of buildings can be seen in the service area of Hannover Airport which probably has the same sort of history.

We were stationed in the camp with 1AIDU Raoc, by the sports feild and running track.We had aquarter in Kalkumer Strasse 1974 -76

I was there from 85-87 with HQ (BR) RCZ and lived in Ranke Str. From the pictures I've seen, both the old sgts and offrs messes are still intact and being used by a German airline but the remainder of the camp has been demolished. Where there was some wasteland in front of the main gate, a motorway has now been built and it would be very difficult now to imagine where the old camp was. The old MQ's at Ranke Str have all been sold off, the families NAAFI, SSCV cinema and security buildings just outside of Nord park have all gone too. The locals have certainly made a good job of eradicating all traces of the British Army in that area!

Just a little bit of information on the cellars of some of the buildings in the barracks. Underneath what was the main HQ buildings (that were in front of you as you drove in the main gate) containing HQ RCZ, BAOR Med & Dent Labs, 2 Gp RCT & REME Tech Services was a three level cellar system. Underneath all the buildings was a normal cellar level however underneath the HQ RCZ building was the secure Command/Comms Centre this was on the second level down. Under 2 Gp RCT and REME Tech Svcs building (the archway building in front of you, as you came in the main gate) was the same cellar arrangement but the second cellar layer was smaller and not used for much. The third layer entry points in all these buildings were blocked off and this is where the access tunnels to what is now Dusseldorf airport were located. Access to the first level was by normal steel doors in each corridor section of the cellars. The second level was accessed by a single heavy steel plate door and appeared there was only one of these in specific corridors of the buildings and to my knowledge I only know of three. These were still the original doors from when the camp was in German hands. These were also supposed to have been used as the air raid shelters during the war. hope this proves useful and if anyone knows different let me know.

I spent many happy(?) days in those cellars on exercise and even had to don respirators for hours on end for some strange reason. The HQ RCZ building was the on the left of the three HQ's - 2 Gp RCT being straight ahead and REME Tech Svcs being on the right, all as you approached from the main gate, with the old sgts mess on the right near the main gate.

I spent a total of 5yrs in Germany, I was posted to 43 Sqn RCT which was the Air Trooping Centre. First arrived in 1967 and in those days it was a case of using BAC 111 aircraft which could hold something like 64 passengers and in those early days it was flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the rest of the week being used on issue of Berlin Travel Documents and we had detachments in Munster, Dortmund and M/Gladbach, these were mainly dealing with MFO and ensuring travel documents (F Mov 164) were filled out correctly. The ATC was directly across the road from the main airport and although adjoining Caernarvon Barracks, there was a wire fence separating them, entrance being by a small wicket gate, all food and accomodation was in the barracks (unless you lived out) the first OC was Maj C O Dixon, he was followed I thing by Maj Thompson then after several changes in title 43 Sqn eventually became 28 Mov and Tpt Con Regt RCT and of course a Col who was George Worsley. The ATC itself consisted of a Currency Exchange, NAFFI Shop, Canteen and Family Accomodation (about 12 rooms) above whilst there were bunk beds in a hege cellar room for the soldiers (these were for flight delays/cancelations) we also had a little club in the cellar (The Match Club) where we could meet in the evenings for drinks darts etc, a lot of the labourers used in the ATC and MFO Depot Ratingen were MSO , most of whome I think were billeted in Scotton Barracks, my married quarter was in Hubblerath (Am Geisterberg) as well as covering Airport, MFO and Berlin Travel Docs we also covered any problems with convoys crossing into Germany. Hope some of this may help Regards to all Les (ex Cpl)

Anyone know what happened to the main NAAFI down at Rhine Centre, it was a very imposing building alongside Nordpark, supposed to be ex SS headquarters or something like that, I can remember the drive up to it was about 100yds long from Keiserswerter Str, think it must have gone just like the Kinema and Nordpark, cannot seem to find it on Google

Les

Les Pattenden wrote:

Anyone know what happened to the main NAAFI down at Rhine Centre, it was a very imposing building alongside Nordpark, supposed to be ex SS headquarters or something like that, I can remember the drive up to it was about 100yds long from Keiserswerter Str, think it must have gone just like the Kinema and Nordpark, cannot seem to find it on Google

Les

Les do you mean the NAAFI that was inside the Rhine Centre or the big buiding that was inside the Nord Park. If you meant the big building I seen before and after photos of it in the Rhine Centre Library. The before photo shows it had a hugh swastika on it when it was the main building for a Nazi exhibition and after when it was the main Sgts Mess In Dusseldorf sans swastika. If you Pm me I can send you some links Not allowed to post links as a new member . Sorry not the photos that I saw in the library but still good. The building was replaced in 1987 by the Aquazoo, a bit like Sealife but far superior . I worked in Dusseldorf from 1991 until it was closed in early 1999. A shame to see it go. They have built a lot of new buildings in Caernarvon Bks (now called Airport City). In the Nordpark there was a small Bus Unit/Depot that closed in the eighties, if you knew the location of it it would be great, I want to help update the locations in Google Earth file on this site

Yes I did mean the NAAFI down by Nordpark, funny thing is I still have some pictures of Nordpark, I used to love walking down to the Rhine in the Summer, a bit of sunbathing in the Rhine Centre, on the football fields and then down to the Rhinebank to take more photo's of the barges, such a lovely place, the thing that stood out more than anything was the looks we used to get from the older Germans,(showing off our tatoos, no shirts) they were so conservative, walking around with coats and hats on, I still got on well with them

Many thanks for the Links

Les

I can always send you some photo's of Nordpark, as it was 67/72 but unfortunately the pics of Rhine Center and the buildings and Kinema ar only in my head,

Les