Hemer

For those who remember Hemer.
I have just typed in "Hemer Germany" on a yoututube search and found two little slide shows sent in by someone who lived there late 50's early 60's.
There are people here who will love it. (I wish there was some way of slowing it down though).

brum.

"I wish there was some way of slowing it down though"

Well you can.... sort of...

Just press the pause button (The button on the left with the two short vertical lines).

On youtube huh....will have to check that out.

There was, over on ruhrmemories.ca, at one time a link to a Hemer site as well....I forget the URL now...but it was a malicious site in that when you got onto it a huge red-eyed devil's head appeared.

I was accessed it while staying with someone and the damn site "ate" all her photo files she had stored on her 'H' drive (never heard of such a drive prior to that but that was where she had several jpgs of her grandkid and various family celebrations....to say she was far from pleased with me is an understatement. And I felt terrible).

I informed David, the ruhrmemories.ca webmaster/owner, and I believe he as since removed it.

Ever since I have been a tad leery.....

I've had no probs with youtube so far Stephen but who can blame you for being cautious?
My son loved the pictures even though they were taken way before "his time".
Of more general interest, youtube again, "jagdtiger in iserlohn" brings up some great footage of a tank unit surrendering to the Yanks.
Those tanks are awesome.
There's also "jagdtiger at iserlohn 1945" but that is rubbish.

Brum

Checked out the youtube stuff....much of it I had seen before on ruhrmemories, of course, but also checked a few of the locally made stuff out...especially the 2010 Garden and Flower Show which is a big deal there apparently...and based in the old Bluecher Kaserne (formerly...and here I always manage to confuse things...Fort Beausejour, I believe, just east (?) of BMH Iserlohn in the Hemer-Iserlohn suburb of Buechenwaldchen).

Stephen Lock wrote:

Checked out the youtube stuff....much of it I had seen before on ruhrmemories, of course, but also checked a few of the locally made stuff out...especially the 2010 Garden and Flower Show which is a big deal there apparently...and based in the old Bluecher Kaserne (formerly...and here I always manage to confuse things...Fort Beausejour, I believe, just east (?) of BMH Iserlohn in the Hemer-Iserlohn suburb of Buechenwaldchen).

You got it correct this time Steph.

Yippee!!!

Apparently Beausejour/Bluecher Kaserne is pretty much all gone and the road in front...was that Friederichstrasse?...the main drag between Iserlohn and Hemer has been reconfigured.

I am also on Flikr and in some correspondence with a woman who lives somewhere between Hemer and Iserlohn, she tells me, and has posted several pics to Flikr of the area...some of it I recognize and some of it I have no idea as it does not conform at all to what I "see" in my mind's eye when I visualize various locations.

Anyway, apparently across from the old gates is a fairly large hill. The town fathers have built a set of steep stairs up it with an eye to erecting a huge tower at the top...a sort of inverted cone thing.

We are all familiar with the German propensity to erect "denkmals" (memorial towers/monuments) and this is what this will be as well. But apparently it doesn't really commemorate anything, which I find odd.

I know it does not commemorate either the British or Canadian brigades (or "occupation" as my German correspondent suggested...that got an interesting conversation going!!! Of course, she is a couple of generations behind us, I'd say no more than 30-something, so she has a totally different perspective).

Okay...so Beausejour = Bluecher so I am assuming Qu'Appelle = Winkelmann.

BMH, of course, is now some technical college and mostly intact. The others not so much. I believe the Deilinghofen camps are by and large intact as well although the sites are now IT firms and, apparently, interim housing for refugees (Congolese, interestingly enough! Bet that goes over really well with the Deilinghofeners!! They had enough issues with "Osties" (East Germans)...).

As mentioned elsewhere and some time ago, the old Married Quarters are now largely occupied by ethnic German Russians, East Germans and Turks...again, not very well liked by the locals. I take it the old PMQs have degenerated into a bit of a ghetto in some respects, although recent photos I've seen indicate the area doesn't look too bad...certainly no worse than when the Canadians and British were there. At least the lawns aren't half dirt and all torn up!

Sorry Stephen not correct after much research:
Epsom Barracks Iserlohn formally Seyditz Kaserne became Fort Beausejour in 1957 then Corruna Barracks in 1970
Mons Barracks Iserlohn formally Winkelmann Kaserne became Fort Qu'Appelle in 1968 back to Winkelmann Kaserne in 1970
Stalag VIA from May 45 Camp Rooesvelt under BAOR 49 Inf Div from Aug 45 to Sep 46 then the Belgium Army took over as Casernes Ardennes later Blücher Kaserne then Bundeswehr from 1956...the Brits did not take it over full time as the outbreak of WW2 the building of the camp was incomplete...no windows according to the local Reservistenkameradenschaft
Cheers
Steve

Stephen Lock wrote:

Yippee!!!


. I believe the Deilinghofen camps are by and large intact as well although the sites are now IT firms and, apparently, interim housing for refugees (Congolese, interestingly enough! Bet that goes over really well with the Deilinghofeners!! They had enough issues with "Osties" (East Germans)...).

Fort Prince of Wales is pretty well all gone Steph. Just the Chapel, the building that held the Barber Shop, Post Office and Pay office. And the QM building and the MT Garages. There is much more of Fort McLeod left. That's where the Congolese refuges live. Prior to Fort P of W's being torn down apparently they had Rumanian refuges. According to what I could figure out from the locals, the difference between a Rumanian and Gypsy was ziltch. They weren't really happy about that. But seeing as previous plans for the Forts was to turn it into an industrial park they had them packed and on their way back to Rumania when Communism took a nose dive. When they packed them onto the train the Rumanians were screaming Nazism, it was pointed out to them that Romania was now a democracy and go pound salt.

steve wrote:

Sorry Stephen not correct after much research:
Epsom Barracks Iserlohn formally Seyditz Kaserne became Fort Beausejour in 1957 then Corruna Barracks in 1970
Mons Barracks Iserlohn formally Winkelmann Kaserne became Fort Qu'Appelle in 1968 back to Winkelmann Kaserne in 1970
Stalag VIA from May 45 Camp Rooesvelt under BAOR 49 Inf Div from Aug 45 to Sep 46 then the Belgium Army took over as Casernes Ardennes later Blücher Kaserne then Bundeswehr from 1956...the Brits did not take it over full time as the outbreak of WW2 the building of the camp was incomplete...no windows according to the local Reservistenkameradenschaft
Cheers
Steve

Ahhh...I think, off hand, that is where the confusion lies re Bluecher Kaserne. Stalag VI-A, as I understand it, was located in Buechenwaldchen (as was Fort Beausejour/Corruna Bks)...so you're saying Bluecher Kaserne is totally separate from these and that what became Bluecher had nothing to do with Beausejour/Corruna but was, in fact, the former POW camp, Stalag VI-A?

In my various correspondences, those I am in correspondence with keep referring to Bluecher as if it was the former Beausejour...sort of....but they are also of a generation that were either very young kids when it was Beausejour/Corruna, or were born afterward...certainly after the Canadians left in 70-71 for sure! So maybe their history/knowledge of what was where is a bit off?

To be honest, I thought Stalag VI-A, which I knew nothing about when I lived in the area and only learned of it in the last 3 or so years via doing Google searches about all things Hemer, was long since gone; basically abandoned post-war. That it may have continued to serve as a military barracks under the BAOR, Belgians and Bundeswehr comes as bit of a surprise. Well, not so much immediately post-war with BAOR....I can certainly see that happening, but I didn't know Ardennes Kaserne = Stalag VI-A!

Did Seydtiz-Epsom-Beausejour-Corruna revert to Bundeswehr following BAOR's pull out? What did it become re name? See...I thought it became Bluecher Kaserne. I knew Qu'Appelle = Winkelmann.

Gad....it'd be so much easier if whoever took a particular site over just kept the damn original name!!! LOL

Hi Stephen
Seydtiz/Epsom/Beausejour/Corruna in Iserlohn closed in 1994 and 26 Engr Regt disbanded they took over from the Canadians in 1970 the place did not go to Bundeswehr now in civilian use with some of the blocks removed and many new industrial units built on the former square
Stalag VI-A/Camp Rooesvelt (what the Brits called unknown) Casernes Ardennes/Blücher in Hemer has only recently been given up by the Bundeswehr and been put to good use here
http://www.landesgartenschau-hemer.de/index.php?id=141&no_cache=1&L=1
A local historian has made a model of Stalag VI-A not really my interest but will have a look to try and find out which British units from 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division served there with HQ at Neheim disbanded Oct 46 found that 2 Bn Gloucestershire Regt were in Soest plenty to keep me going on the Iserlohn and surrounding area from when the British Army took over late May/early June 1945
Cheers
Steve

Thanks...yes, knew the Landesgartenshau was based out of the old Bluecher Kaserne but the confusion was coming out of my German correspondents suggesting, or outright saying, this was the former Beausejour.

To add to the confusion, several folks refer to Seyditz/Epsom/Beausejour/Corruna as being in Hemer. I suppose, technically, it might be actually although I always saw it as "Iserlohn" but it was located in that stretch of urban sprawl between Hemer and Iserlohn so I guess it's up for grabs as to where Hemer ends and Iserlohn begins.

For me it was right about at this geographical point, in the area known as Buechenwaldchen but, yeah, the border is pretty fluid, I'd say.

Qu'Appelle/Winkelmann is definitely "Iserlohn".

Stephen
Just checked the map Seyditz/Epsom/Beausejour/Corruna is on the 'border' with Hemer the street address for the camp roads now Corruna Strasse the main road is Westfahlen Strasse and as soon as it crosses the 'border' becomes Iserlohner Strasse the Buchenwäldchen is off the Westfahlen Strasse the Wohnpark Buchenwäldchen GmbH have taken over Qu'Appelle/Winkelmann for housing and have offices at the former Aldershot Barraks/Bernhard-Hülsmann Kaserne on the other side of town hope this helps
Cheers
Steve

Hiya Steve,

Dragging myself away from shiny toilet paper for a while.
I was wondering if you had chance to look at the youtube "Jagdtiger" clip.
Were any of the buildings in the background recognizeable?
Was the surrender taking place in a barracks in Iserlohn?
Listening to the noise from those monsters I'm not surprised the Germans were able to get into the Ardennes so easily.

brum.

steve wrote:

Stephen
Just checked the map Seyditz/Epsom/Beausejour/Corruna is on the 'border' with Hemer the street address for the camp roads now Corruna Strasse the main road is Westfahlen Strasse and as soon as it crosses the 'border' becomes Iserlohner Strasse the Buchenwäldchen is off the Westfahlen Strasse the Wohnpark Buchenwäldchen GmbH have taken over Qu'Appelle/Winkelmann for housing and have offices at the former Aldershot Barraks/Bernhard-Hülsmann Kaserne on the other side of town hope this helps
Cheers
Steve

So, they went and changed the name of the strasse as well??? Nice they (they = city fathers, I suppose, or whoever is in charge of such things) commemorated Corruna Bks by re-naming the street but it does make for a confusing topic.

In my time I forget what it this stretch was called. I thought it was Friederich Strasse but that may have been further along as one entered Iserlohn stadt proper.

Okay, so I'm not completing losing it then S/E/B/C was on the border, as it were, between Hemer and Iserlohn. Whew...good to hear someone confirm that! LOL

As far as Aldershot/Bernhard-Huelsmann goes....I wasn't familiar with it when living there (although "Aldershot" rings a slight bell), but that doesn't mean much. If it wasn't somehow directly connected to our experience, we just took it for granted and didn't pay much mind anyway...if it was a British Barracks during the late 60's/70's when we were still in the area (and it well could have been) we (i.e. Canadian teens) would only have been dimly aware of it since it had nothing to do with us or our dads' work. I know, sounds a bit parochial but there ya have it!

The same up in Soest....we had Belgique Married Quarters right across Hiddingser Weg from the Canadian PMQs, right at the end of Kanadischer Weg, and there was zero interaction between Canadian PMQ kids and any Belgique kids who may have live just across the way. Same for the, what?, 4 Belgique Kasernes in Soest....the only ones I had any awareness of were the two facing each other along the B-1 and Hiddingser Weg. I was dimly aware of the one south east of the Married Quarter area (and actually lived across from it when I returned as a civvie to Soest in 1973), but could I tell you the names of any of them? Nope...Adam was one.

returning to topic.....

When you say Aldershot was on the 'other side of town'...can you clarify that? Do you mean on the way to Letmathe (west of Iserlohn (Hemer being, generally, east of Iserlohn))? That whole end of Iserlohn remains quite vague as I and my parents just had no occasion to get down that way, really.

returning to topic.....

When you say Aldershot was on the 'other side of town'...can you clarify that? Do you mean on the way to Letmathe (west of Iserlohn (Hemer being, generally, east of Iserlohn))? That whole end of Iserlohn remains quite vague as I and my parents just had no occasion to get down that way, really.[/quote]

Have a look here
http://britisharmyiniserlohn.blogspot.com/
Cheers
Steve

Yep...came across that map in another thread (When Joining the Regt First Time, I believe) and left a comment about how helpful the map was.

I lived not far from the British MQ lines in Iserlohn (Reuben Strasse etc), and my school bus stopped there to pick up the kids enroute to Cornwall School in Dortmund, which I also attended. I now realize -- duh! -- these MQs were where they were because Aldershot was the barracks out of which most of the dads would have been stationed.

I didn't hang out with those kids, preferring to moped into Hemer and hang out with the Irish Ranger kids...it was Hemer I knew so that was where I headed to try and establish social connections (took a while but succeeded).

Didn't know one street from the other. But I knew where the good gasthofs were. Good company, good beer and good food.

ehehehehe...true enough!

I dreamt last night of a obscure little gasthof my British friends took me to when I was back living in Iserlohn. As far as I know, it was never a Canadian hangout but it might have been.

it was tucked way down across from some factory in Stephanopel, quite a jaunt from the MQs and enroute to Deilinghofen.

Do you remember the fire hall along the road between Hemer and Deilinghofen, it'd be on your left as you left Hemer and was not actually in Hemer but Stephanopel?

If you looked down into the valley on your right (which was Stephanopel) you'd see a row or two of one and two storey wire factories (I believe it was wire) and across the street from them was a gasthof we knew as "Katz"....the proprietor was named Herr Katz, but I forget the name of the actual gasthof...I think it was called the Black Cat (Schwartzenkatten) but don't quote me on that. Oddly, I never took a photo of the place....

This is pretty much the only gasthof I knew in the Hemer area as when I lived there under the Canadians I didn't head out to the gasthofs...well apart from Little Canada across from the school. Now the ones in Soest....those I know like the back of my hand!!