Original name – Linsingen Kaserne

Updated 7 June 2024

Home to:
E Battery 608th (Welch) Infantry Regiment RA 1945 (1)
1st Engineer Training Establishment BAOR RE 1946-1949 (2)
Depot Regiment RE 1948 (3)
23 Field Engineer Regiment RE 1948-1950 (4)
2 Field Squadron – 38 Field Squadron – 5 Field Squadron arrived Dec 48 less one troop
21 Field Park Squadron – Depot Squadron
21 Field Engineer Regiment RE 1950-1951 (5)
4 Field Squadron – 5 Field Squadron – *7 Field Squadron – 27 Field Squadron
45 Field Park Squadron – 48 Field Squadron formed Mar 50 replacing*
26 Field Engineer Regiment RE 1950-1957(6)
7 Field Squadron – 29 Field Squadron – 60 Field Squadron – 43 Field Park Squadron

(1) arrived from requisitioned civilian accommodation Luisenstraße Hameln 30 Jun 45 – 306th Infantry Brigade – disbanded 31 Oct 45
(2) arrived from Knokke north-east of Bruges Belgium 15 Apr 46 – 5th Infantry Division for administration – Hannover District for administration 15 Jan 48 – formed 21 Field Engineer Regiment RE in Holzminden Jul 49
(3) formed from disbanded 7 Armoured Division Engineer Regiment RE 13 Mar 48 – redesignated Depot Squadron 23 Field Engineer Regiment 3 Sep 48
(4) arrived from Mons Barracks Iserlohn 3 Sep 48 – 2nd Infantry Division – moved to Napier Barracks Dortmund Jul 50
(5) arrived from Pionier Kaserne Holzminden Oct 49 – 7th Armoured Division – moved to Assaye Barracks Neinburg Nov 51
(6) formed Nov 50 – 11th Armoured Division

Source: 21st Army Group later British Army of the Rhine to 1 Mar 49

To be continued

26 Field Engineer Regiment RE 1950-1958 (1)
29 Independent Field Squadron RE 1950-1999
35 Corps Engineer Regiment RE 1964-1968 (2)
35 Engineer Regiment RE 1968-1977(2)
4 Armoured Division Engineer Regiment RE 1977-1981 (2)
35 Engineer Regiment 1981-1999 (2)
28 Amphibious Engineer Regiment RE Jan 1971-April 1992 (3)
28 Engineer Regiment RE Apr 1992-2014 (4)

(1) Formed at Hameln in 1950 with 7 Field, 29 Independent Field, 43 Field Park, and 60 Field Squadrons. Disbanded in 1958, 29 Independent Field Squadron (29 Field Squadron from remained in Hameln under different Commands, finally coming under 35 Engineer Regiment. More can be found here for 26 Regiment and here for 29 Squadron.
(2) 35 Corps Engineer Regiment was re-titled many times between 1964 and 1999. Moved to Barker Barracks, Paderborn in 1999 in support of 20 Armoured Brigade.
(3) Reformed on formed on 1 January 1971 in Hameln, Germany. The unit had initially formed in 1951 and disbanded in 1957 having performed tours of Benghazi, Korea, the United Kingdom and Christmas Island.
(4) The re-roling of 28 Amphibious Engineer Regiment, based on the M2D amphibious bridging and ferrying equipment, to become the General Support Engineer Regiment of 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division took place on 1 April 1992.

I served in 7 Field Squadron – 26 Field Engineer Regt RE from 1952 to 1955 and was based in. Gordon Barracks Hameln – for my happiest time in the service! Any of our gang still out there?

Richard Williams

Gordon Barracks, Hameln, BFPO 31. As far as I am aware units of the Royal Engineers (Amphibious Engineer Regiments – AER ) have been stationed there from the 1950s. The German name for the barracks is Linsingen Kaserne. With Hameln located on the River Weser, in the event of an attack on NATO by the Warsaw Pact, and the destruction of bridges over the river, the RE units would have constructed bridges at strategic points to allow NATO/BAOR to withdraw. Gordon Barracks is still occupied by RE, 35 Engr Regt, I believe. Bindon Barracks also housed an RE regiment, but was handed back to the Germans in the 1990s with the disbandment of BAOR. As Alan related (see below), he was stationed there in the late 60s, we were a small RMP det (1 BR Corps Pro Coy) providing Service Police support to the garrison. A great posting, in the sense of very interesting BAOR bridging exercises and peacetime policing of the garrison.

IBAmbrose

Above can be seen a Bell 47 helicopter as used by the British Army.

Courtesy of Mr Alan Ventress

I was stationed in Hameln between 1968 and 1971 as a Corporal in the Royal Military Police, above are a few photos taken at that time. Engex was a line up of Royal Engineers vehicles prior to an exercise – this was taken at Gordon Barracks in Hameln about 1969.

Courtesy of Mr Alan Ventress

I was stationed at Gordon Barracks in 1956 and 1957 for my national service, when it was home to 26 Field Engineer Regt this was made up of HQ Sqn, 7 Sqn, 60 Sqn and 29 Sqn it was also used as a bridge building training camp for most of NATO units including the Canadians but I don’t remember the USA training there.

The bridges were the standard Bailey Bridge which was hard graft as everything had to be shifted by hand and the Army had that worked out to a treat. Bridge panels a 6 man load, steel beams for foundations 4 man and so on.

Next was the heavy girder bridge still a Bailey but now too heavy for man loads so most was now lifted by crane except the decking which, being aluminium, was placed by hand.

There was also the 50/60 raft, which was a few pontoons with part of a standard Bailey Bridge built across ramps where sections of bridge were raised by hand power for the raft and some 2 cylinder Peters engines with flexible drives lowered over the side. It was a bit hit and miss – if you got to the other side. I nearly forgot – there is a steel beam which has to be fitted and this is a 15 man load.

After the Russians moved into Hungary in 1956 there was a lot of speculation as to what would happen and the children were not allowed to set off fireworks until well into December That winter we spent a lot of time practicing the demolition of the bridges and roads on our list, it was damn cold. Clothing was the same as summer but we could wear gloves. In 1957 there were stories that either 60 Sqn or 7 Sqn was to be disbanded, the other one moving out thus leaving 29 Sqn and HQ Sqn. What happened I don’t know as I left for demob in late October.

Most of my photos have been lost but here are a few in case they are of interest, the first 2 are of the block of 29 Fd Sqn

In May 1956 a pontoon Bailey Bridge was built across the Weser by 29 Fd Sqn. The first picture is waiting for the river traffic to pass as we could only close the river for a limited time. Not the best picture, but you can just make out the logs lashed together with the tent on board. I think they still do this.

The next 2 are the completed bridge:

Photos above courtesy of James Keyse