(1) Arriving from Dennis Barracks, Munsterlager.
Parade sqaure with accommodation/office blocks in background. Annual 'Fitness for Role' (FFR) 1963 1963 Inspection in progress.
Courtesy of Richard Grevatte-Ball
When I arrived in Bunde the barracks was occupied by 2 Armd Div Signal Regiment, the truckies and an Air Corps flight (Gazelles & Scouts). My CO was Sam Cowan (now Gen Sir), who retired as DLO and is now the Master of Signals. 2 Div HQ did the hardening and reducing trials for Divisonal HQs so we had two HQs of 432s and a Comd Tac of 3 x Spartan. The Regiment moved back to UK on yet another a reorganisation in 1983 and lost its Armd status.
Andy Tuson
Same detail as the picture above. Vehicles are the Austin Champ jeep; Austin K9 light truck; Bedford QL office truck and Bedford 3 ton cargo truck - 1963.
Courtesy of Richard Grevatte-Ball
I was stationed at Birdwood Barracks, Bunde from1963 to 1965. The Barracks was situated amongst farmland, some distance outside the town of Bunde –(to the NW I think – Ennigloh?). It was a post WWII complex, built by the British, to a standard ‘barracks expansion’ pattern (there was a name for this design ?), sometime in the 1950’s. It was all single storey, brick or breeze bloc with white painted plaster exterior walls, with flat, slightly sloping roofs. It was designed to hold two major (regimental sized) units and the ‘long term’ occupants in the 1960’s were 2 Division Signals Regiment and 2 Divisional Transport Column RASC. They were joined in 1964 by an Army Air Corps unit flying Skeeter helicopters (unit designation unknown but probably connected with 2 Div HQ).
The Barracks was surrounded by a hire wire fence with a pedestrian & vehicle entry point to the North end of its East fence. When the AAC arrived (taking over covered lockable door vehicle accn. from the RASC) a part of the North fence was made into a ‘swing down’ unit so that the helicopters could approach the none too large hard standing landing area (ex vehicle park!) at a suitable angle!
At the south end there were sports pitches and an obstacle course, two identical officers’ Messes immediately adjacent to each other, with two SNCO’ Messes a little to the north and all having separate sleeping accommodation blocks a short walk away. (Continuing North there were the Royal Signals soldiers accn., RHQ and Squadron offices, technical areas and drill square – I am a little ‘vague’ here as to accuracy). Then further north still the RASC had their own drill square, RHQ and Company offices, outside vehicle hard standing (some 140 vehicles), soldiers accn. and technical stores. The two working RASC companies were 4 and 8 Divisional Transport Company’s RASC respectively. RHQ administered a third sub-unit, 54 Company RASC, which was situated elsewhere (Minden I think). There was a small NAAFI, together with various soldiers clubs. Married accommodation was some way away and outside the barracks site I believe.
Bunde was a small town, famous for cigar manufacturing and as the home of SOXMIS – the Soviet Mission in West Germany, so we got used to seeing Russian staff cars on our local roads and being followed by them on exercise. I remember one very ‘hush hush’ detail where we conducted at ‘no notice’ and in great secrecy (or so we thought!) the outloading of real ammunition from a large ammunition storage area, so that the storage bunkers could be renovated, we were told. No sooner had we loaded and moved onto a public road to take the ammo to another location, than we found ourselves being shadowed by a SOXMIS staff car -who said that there were no spies about!
!n 1963 there were DM13.80 to the pound and gin was so cheap from the NAAFI that in winter we used to put it into our car windscreen washer bottles (diluted with water), as it was cheaper than the anti freeze mixture to be had from a German garage! We were constantly out on exercise and, once the crops were in, were encouraged by the German farmers to drive all over their fields, as they could then claim compensation for us ‘ploughing up’ their fields. Likewise they welcomed us into their farmhouses as we paid a set rate –in cash- for all bedrooms occupied and meals cooked for us. Perhaps readers will remember the rather uncomfortable three sectioned ‘biscuit’ mattresses of those days?
Richard Grevatte-Ball
The Princess Royal visiting Birdwood barracks, Bünde - 1960.
Courtesy of Mr John O'Meara