Updated 18 July 2024
Original Name – Dannevoux (Artillerie) Kaserne
Situated: Alter Uentroper Weg, Hamm
Home to:
3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry RAC 1946 (1)
5th Royal Tank Regiment RAC 1946-1948 (2)
(1) arrived from Schleswig 2 Apr 46 – moved to Lüneburg 6 Jul 46
(2) arrived from Wilster west of Itzehoe 6 Jul 46 – moved to Bergen-Hohne 15 Sep 48
More to follow
Source: 21st Army Group later British Army of the Rhine to Mar 49
Part II
5th Armoured Workshop REME 1951-1957 (3)
6th Infantry Workshop REME 1957-1958 (4)
Windsor Girl’s School 1960-1980
Closed 1 June 1994
(3) Re-titled 6 Infantry Workshop in August 1957 and changed command from 6 Armoured Division (The Mailed Fist Div) to 5 Infantry Brigade.
(4) Moving to Cromwell Barracks to allow the Windsor School to expand from it`s other location in Hamm.
In autumn of 1938 the first occupants of Dannevoux Kasserne were a Wehrmacht Artillery Regiment until 1945. Some sources suggest that it was perhaps a cavalry regiment but by the late 1930’s it is well documented that the horse had been replaced by the more formidable Panzer. However, horses were obviously also stationed at Dannevoux Kasserne as stables were part of the barracks. Following the end of hostilities in Europe after a brief visit by the Americans the next occupants of Dannevoux Kasserne were the British Army. As a result, Dannevoux Kasserne was renamed Newcastle Barracks and became home to 5 Royal Tank Regiment. 5 RTR were the first armoured regiment to be issued with the ‘new’ Centurion MBT and so the former stables were converted into tank hangers. The regiment were stationed in Hamm until 1948. During the next 12 years the Barracks were occupied by 46 Anti-Tank Regiment, the Durham Light Infantry and for a time several local firms used it as a warehouse, although this is unconfirmed. By the end of the 1950s the camp was refurbished for the imminent arrival of hundreds of British servicemen’s daughters from all regions of BAOR and so Windsor Girls School opened in 1960 closing in 1980.
Mr Mick Hughes
In the mid/late 1950s the Barracks was home to 5 Armd Wksp. It subsequently moved to Redesdale Barracks Dortmund prior to the site being adapted for use as Windsor Girls School. (My father was based there from Summer 1955 to Spring 1958).
The Artillerie Kaserne under original ownership.
Courtesy of Westfälischer Anzeiger
Thanks to a Hamm resident, Christian Sommerhage, an article was given from the Hamm daily newspaper “Westfälischer Anzeiger” containing an aerial picture of Newcastle Barracks as it is now and an artists impression (see below) of what it will look like in the very near future.
According to the article the site is being redeveloped to include 155 new homes as illustrated in the artist’s impression below. Interestingly it appears as though they are going to retain the main buildings.
Google Earth
Westfälischer Anzeiger
I served from May 1956 – December 1958 at Newcastle Barracks, Hamm, the home of 5 Armoured Workshops R.E.M.E. 6 Armoured Div. It was without a doubt the best time of my life, I only wish that I could repeat it all again. Most of our platoon decided that we would like to meet-up again after our demob, we did so in September 1959, down in London. We have now been meeting every year since, we take turns to organize each meeting in various parts of the U.K. Next year will be the 50th, so we are going to try to do something very special. We were all members of H.Q. company, should anyone remember us, and would like to make contact, you will be made very welcome. We have only lost one of our number, Brian Davies, sadly he died when he was only 49, several of our group including myself, attended his funeral and carried his coffin, it was a very sad day, we were all very fond of Brian. It’s a great pity that today’s young men will not experience the camaraderie that we enjoyed in our late teens and early twenties, discipline in retrospect could be enjoyed when experienced collectively, mutual support was always present, and sometimes created a good deal of amusement. We still talk about our experiences as if it was yesterday.
Regards to all past and present servicemen.
Ray Wilcox, Ex R.E.M.E. and proud of it!
My wife and I have just spent a few days in Germany and took the opportunity to visit Windsor school in Hamm where she spent a very miserable year as a boarder in the early 1960s.
The site is still open to the public. The block on the right, as you go in, has been renovated and turned into flats, the main school building has also been renovated but we have no idea what it is used for. The stand-alone block appeared to be in the process of being gutted with lots of the old fittings thrown outside. Of the three other blocks, two were vacant the end one has a kindergarten and various community activities advertised on it`s door. There were some rough and ready fire exits fitted to the field ends. The whole site was overgrown and unkempt although we did see a Landscape Contractors Van parked on the verge.
We travelled by public transport, Bus numbers 3 and 33 go from the Rail station pass the school and run every 20 mins.
Neil Allen