Built – 1938?
Original name – Flak Kaserne

Updated 27 July 2024

Home to:
160th (South Wales) Infantry Brigade 1946-1947 (1)
4th Battalion Welch Regiment 1945-1946 (2)
1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment 1946-1947 (3)
1st Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers 1947-1949 (4)
HQ 4th Infantry Brigade 1947-1950 (1)
1st Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment 1949-1951 (5)
HQ 4th Guards Brigade 1950 (1)

(1) arrived from Düsseldorf Centrum 16 May 46 – redesignated 4th Infantry Brigade 1 Apr 47 – redesignated 4th Guards Brigade 1 Jul 47 – back to Infantry 1 Dec 47 – then to Guards 1950
(2) arrived from Düsseldorf-Mettmann 15 Jun 45 – moved to Erwitte south of Lippstadt 3 Jun 46
(3) arrived from Duisburg 4 Jun 46 – moved to UK 15 Jun 47
(4) arrived from Gevelsburg south-west of Hagen 15 Jun 47 – moved to Berlin 15 Apr 49
(5) arrived from Berlin 15 Apr 49 – moved to UK Feb 51

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

Part II

Headquarters
HQ 4th Guards Brigade Group May 1950 to May 1964
HQ 7th Artillery Brigade 1964-1966

Regiments
1st Battalion Irish Guards Feb 1951 to Mar 1953 to UK
2nd Battalion Scots Guards Jul 1953 to Feb 1957 to UK
3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards Feb 1957 to Feb 1959 to UK
?
1st Battalion Irish Guards Nov 1961 to Jun 1964 to UK
22nd Light Air Defence Regiment Apr 1964 to Mar 66 (6)
12th Light Air Defence Regiment RA Mar 66 to Apr 1968 (7)

Sub Units
160 Infantry Brigade Signals later Squadron Jun 1945 to Feb 1947
4 Infantry Brigade Group later 4 Guards Brigade Group Signal Squadron Feb 1947 to Sep 1959
204 (Infantry Brigade Group) later 4 Guards Brigade HQ & Signal Squadron Sep 1959 to Feb 1964
247 Gurkha Signal Squadron Mar 1963 to Sep 1963 (8)
4 Infantry later Guards Brigade Provost Unit RMP Feb 1947 to Feb 1964
217 Signal Squadron Jul 1964 to Jan 1967 (9)

Closed 1967 and renamed Bergische Kaserne

German (from 1967)
Signal Bn of 5 Coys
One Coy of a Military Police Bn
Army Band of 7th Panzer

(6) 22 Lt AD Regt RA (56 & 40 Batteries) arrived 1964. The Regiment took over from the Irish Guards. Although stationed there the Regt was soon deployed to Malaysia & Borneo during the confrontation with Indonesia.
(6) Moved to Napier Barracks Dortmund.
(7) Moved from Tidworth UK before they were sent to Borneo in February 1964. The Squadron was disbanded in Borneo 15th January 1967. Reformed in Hong Kong in 1983
(8) Arrived from Mansergh Barracks Gütersloh moved to West Riding Barracks Dortmund

The first German troops to occupy the Barracks in 1938 was FlakRgt 64. In 1945 the German Army left the Barracks shortly before the American 94th Infantry division arrived in the area. The Americans used the Barracks first as a staging area, later stationing troops on a permanent basis. This only lasted for a short period, British troops arriving in the area in 1945 renaming the camp

Originally known as Düsseldorf Flak Kaserne. Was home to 22 Light Air Defence Regiment*, RA. Used by the British Army up until 1967, when it was then handed over to the Bundeswehr.

Back in German hands it accommodated a Signal Bn of 5 Coys, one Coy of a Military Police Bn and the Army Band of 7th Panzer was stationed there. Right now only the SIG Bn is still there. A GE Army Signal battalion is the equivelant to a UK Army SIG REGT. It is still in use to this day, now named Bergische Kaserne but unfortunately due to close in mid 2008.

Lt Col Hauke Krapf, 7th Panzer Division, Bundeswehr

I was posted to 22 Light Air Defence Regt Wksp, REME, 15th Independent Artillery Brigade. BAOR. (BFPO 32, I think) Formation Sign. A gold “Centaur” on a blue background, holding a Bow with a loaded arrow ready to fire. The Regiment had 2 Batteries, 42 and 53 “Louisville”, each equipped with Radar Controlled, FCE 7, 40 mm. Bofors (L40/70). The Radar trailers were called “Noddies” and were to track “Low flying Aircraft” at short range. Regimental HQ, or Brigade HQ, had the “Green Archer” Equipment. This was a longer range radar and its job was to pass on the direction, speed and altitude of incoming aircraft beyond the range of our radar. The main transport, as I remember, was Bedford RL 3 ton 4×4 to haul their guns, ammo, and personnel. Each battery consisted of 8 guns and 8 Noddies.

Our workshop OC was Major Cornish, nicknamed “The Crunch” from his common use of the phrase “When the crunch comes”. The 2i/c was Capt.Barber an ex ranker, late 30’s, insisted on doing the 9 mile endurance in 2 hours march even though he had no obligation to do so! He was the only officer I ever knew who did the march and I was with him when the men fell out and I saw the state of his feet! How he had managed to keep going I have no idea but it was typical of the man. I was very sorry to see him go. I had no problem saluting him! He was replaced by Capt. Whiting known to the lads as “Chinese” (Wy Ting).

The workshops was equipped with 2 x Bedford RL 3 ton 4×4 Computer Repair, 2 x ditto Radar Repair, 1 x Bedford 3 ton 4×4 Machinery lorry, 1 x 3 ton Stores Binned lorry, 1 x 2 ton “Binned” trailer, 1 x “Petrol” Scammel, 4(?) x Bedford RL G.S. 3 ton 4×4, 4(?) x1 ton open trailers, 2 x 1 ton Generator trailer,1 x Landrover and 1/2 ton trailer. Our workshop Binned and Machinery Lorries, in order of likelihood, either Bedford QL, Ford WOT6 or Austin K4. RAOC Stores Section had 4 x Bedford RL 3 ton GS and 4×1 ton open trailers. I can remember seeing at least 1 Binned Lorry which should have been a QL but as far as I can remember I had the only “Flat front”. Maybe they had Binned RLs. Each Gun Battery had a workshop section allotted to it, each having an AQMS i/c and with its own repair vehicles but HQ workshops, in barracks, held the stores.

I arrived at Mansergh Bks early March 1963, that terrible winter had lifted the road cobbles and the snow which had been ploughed to the edge of the pavement had turned to ice and was about 2′ high! I had just spent 3 years in the Far East so it was quite a shock!

Married Quarters were in very short supply so my wife, Jean, 3 year old daughter Susan and I lived in one room at the Hotel Scheck in Gutersloh for about 2 months. About August 1963 we moved into an ex Control Commission hiring at Warendorf. We were the only “English” and when the weekly Volkswagen duly got lost the locals always knew what they wanted and directed them to us. The dormer bungalow owned by a Professor living in Rome who visited us once told me about his war service. He was Feldwebel (Sgt) Falschirmjager (Paratrooper) at the battle for Crete. The casualties were so high that he was commissioned in the field to lead his Company now down to only 12 men, 100 plus had jumped onto the airfield! He told me that the Australians were firing anti-tank shells at single troopers! He shook his head and said “Not really cricket as the English would say!” We stayed there till July/August 1964.

About April 1964 the Regiment became part of the “Strategic Reserve” and started intensive training on airfield defence at RAF Gutersloh. As part of the general NATO preparedness we had to be able to “Crash Out” of barracks with all kit and equipment in a hour to a “Hide” on receipt of a code word. First week of July we took part in exercise “Armed Horse”, we did this every year at the same time and I well remember driving past fields upon fields of yellow rape! We travelled to the range at Celle where the Batteries fired solid shot at Tank hulls. Hits were a very satisfying “BOIONG”! We then went to Todendorf on the Baltic coast to practise radar controlled firing at air towed drogues. On the range next to us the German army were firing with their “Feldmaus” a multi barrelled anti-aircraft AFV. Their drogue didn’t register hits, it just tore it apart!

Late July I went on the advance party to Hubbelrath to take over our new workshops from the Irish Guards – strict instructions on our conduct and saluting! As I walked around the barracks – I don’t remember it’s name, I am waiting for confirmation – Guardsmen, at 30 paces, were SLAMMING to attention as I and the Guards CQMS passed by! Was it 60 paces for officers? About this time Major Cornish left to be replaced by Major McKinder. I took over a M.Q. in Stratten Weg. All the REME in calling distance and an easy walk into camp through a side gate. I have looked at your aerial photo and cannot recognize anything! (Stratenweg can just be seen at the very right edge of the aerial photograph, leading north from the main road)

Saturday, September 5th, returning home from shopping in Dusseldorf I was met with a “Get into Camp URGENT” message! Exercise “Mango Pip” was on! The next 3 to 4 days passed in a blur, practically no sleep, changes of priority, booking toolkits into the stores, filling wooden boxes with equipment and then securing them with a banding machine that didn’t work, getting our cholera and yellow fever jabs only to find out that we had 2 of cholera and none of yellow fever so back to HQ to have this done – nearly had another cholera! The following day the International Vac. Certs were lost so we paraded to get our jabs again! A point blank refusal was met with a warning that if any of us got C or Y.F. then it would be Courts Martial!

Our families left in Germany, we flew off in 4 Bristol Britannias to El Adam – a place I knew well! Something wrong with our plane, “Chalk 1”, so all the “Brass” commandeered “Chalk 2” Having done this trip before, and being absolutely shattered, I left my seat and went to sleep on the floor. Someone was poking me with a stick! It was the CO asking what I was doing. I told him that the next leg was a long way and he would do well to do the same as me. When I awoke he was laid next to me! We arrived at Gan in the Maldives next, we had crossed the equator and hadn’t celebrated crossing the line! Chalk 1 had been repaired so once again we unloaded all our kit and re – emplaned! We arrived at Changi to meet the press! In Germany we had been told that this was a hush-hush affair!. The “Straits Times” the next day had the headlines “Crack Air Defence Regiment to defend Singapore!” They didn’t know what we knew!

As soon as we switched on our Radar it was like Blackpool illuminations – nothing worked! Major McKinder knew of an American product called “Phospro” which would help. Our RAOC Stores Section contacted DADOS to get supplies of Phospro but they had never heard of it! I had been employed in Local Purchase in Singapore 2 years previously so I got busy with my contacts. They knew nothing of this product but as a last resort I went to a little Chinese TV repair shop where they had once helped me in the past. While waiting to see the manager I saw a technician spray something into the back of a TV, what was it and why was he spraying? He said a Chinese name for the spray and added that it lifted the water! I bought 6 cans off him and found his supply. Major M. got the top brass in and showed them how electronic equipment left soaking overnight in a monsoon drain could be in working order 1 hour after spraying with our “Wonder Juice”! Later we knew it as WD 40!

53 Louisburg Battery was based at Changi and REME HQ was close by in a bungalow next to RAF Regiment HQ. They had Bofors but no radar. 42 Battery went to, I think Seletar, possibly Tengah, but quickly went to Borneo to replace a 12 Regt RA Battery who had no Radar. As I recall it we weren’t in Singapore very long before our “Noddies” arrived on HMS Bulwark(?)

We spent 7 months on a system of 24 hours on and 24 hours off, a six day week with Saturday off one week and Sunday the next. A 10 hour day was quite normal and more often than not working on the one day off. First week in April we flew back to Germany but via Aden this time. It wasn’t long before “Armed Horse” came round and we were once again back in the routine! April 1966 the Regiment was once again on its way to Singapore but this time without me, I was blighty bound!

Ted Jones

Re: Llanelly Barracks, Hubblerath I feel I must correct Ted Jones information somewhat. My father was RQMS of 22 LtAD Regt at that time. The two batteries (53 “Louisburg” and 40 “The Old Rooks” ) each had 2 troops. each troop had 4 gun-subs, each gunsub consisted of 3x Leyland Martian 10t 6×6 tractors, a 40mm L70 Bofors , an FCE7 “Yellow Fever” and a Meadows 27 KVA generator. Each battery had a Radar set No7 Mk4 towed by an AEC 16ton 6×6 tractor. “Green Archer” is a mortar-locating radar used by “steam gunners”! 22 Regt took over in 1964 from the Irish Guards. The secondary school for the families was the boarding school in Hamm (WBS or WGS). Interestingly, there was still some war damage in the vicinty of the Guardroom/main gate.

Roger

When I first arrived there as a 7 year old on the first boatload of families, the Norfolk Regiment were in occupation. My father was an Armourer attached to 4th Guards Brigade. They remained there which ever Regiment was there. The Norfolks were followed by the Royal Welch Fusiliers. I used to watch the daily morning parade with their goat mascot! I presume it was them who called the barracks Llanelly Barracks. They were followed by the Irish Guards. A new barracks was built behind to house the Black Watch, or poison dwarves as the Germans called them.

The building on the right is, of course, the Guard House. I cannot be sure, but the lower picture looks very much like the WOs’ and Sgts’ Mess, which was down the road and turn left.

Mr John Hollingsworth

It is not certain at this time if the three photographs below of Llanelly Barracks are on the correct page. They may be moved to the Gort Barracks page should that be the correct place for them.

Above three photographs courtesy of Ernst J. von der Schmitt