Updated 21 August 2024

Original name – Simeon Kaserne

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2nd Armoured Replacement Group RAC 1945

arrived from Netherlands 14 Jun 45 – moved to Böstlingen south-east of Fallingbostel 24 Jun 45

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

Part II

10 Armoured Workshops REME 1953-1955 (1)
16 Infantry Workshop REME 1955-1960 (2)
11 Infantry Workshops REME 1960-1970 (3)
11 Field Workshop REME 1970-1977 (4)
627 Mobile Civilian Transport Group RCT
58 Station Workshop REME
Service Children’s Schools (Northwest Europe)
Garrison Kindergarten

Closed 30 September 1993

(1) Formed in February 1953.
(2) Retitled in June 1955.
(3) Retitled in June 1960.
(4) Retitled in September 1970 and disbanded in December 1977.

I would like to send a photo of my stay at Westminster Barracks during April-October, 1957. It shows me sitting on the hand-rails surrounding the swimming pool (fire water tank) in the camp. Do any viewers remember swimming in the pool?

Could I just reminisce and say that during one sports day, we were allowed to do any sports we would like. We played various sports that day but I noticed that a couple of the senior lads went running and when they came back to camp their hair was always wet. After some persuasion they confided that they had been to the civvy swimming pool. The next sports day they were persuaded to let more of us to join them, within a few weeks most of the camp were wearing swimming trunks hidden beneath their running kit and making a bee-line for the civvie swimming pool, but one afternoon a couple of sergeants followed us and the game was up.

John

In the 1960s/early 1970s the main unit occupying Westminster Barracks was 11 Field/Infantry Workshop which provided major REME repair and maintenance support to units in the garrison and neighbouring area. The responsibility for Field Force units was transferred to the enlarged 7 Armoured Workshop at Fallingbostel in the mid 1970s? and the rump (with a mainly civilian work force) was renamed 58 Station Workshop.

JPW

I looked at pictures of Westminster Barracks on the website, but they do not look familiar to me except for the parade ground. In 1957-59 I served as a National Service soldier in the REME. I was posted for 6 months to 16 Inf Wksp, Westminster Barracks, Minden with the OC being Major ‘Tug’ Wilson, whose name is on a plaque in the REME Museum.
As I recall there was an American Sherman tank opposite the entrance’s ornamental gates with the guard room on the left as you went in. I was billeted in “A” Block, there was an ‘in park’ for vehicles with an under-ground garage, a swimming pool that served as an emergency water tank, a sports field said to cover for an under ground bunker, a pig-sty with a pig to supplement the rations and various workshop buildings.

We had to parade on the square one day to mark the battle of Minden. As you turn right outside the camp, about two hundred yards on the left, another squaddie showed a cottage just back off the road, in amongst the trees and said that there was a huge underground telephone exchange there and was worth seeing, but I did not bother at the time – I wish I had now. I borrowed a book from the local library named ‘A THOUSAND LINES TO BERLIN’ written by a Welshman who had served in the signal regiment during WWII. In the book it said the telephone exchange had direct links to Hitler’s bunker. I have since wondered if this was the same telephone exchange that I saw at Minden.

John