Built – 1935/36
Type – Luftwaffe, Flak Barracks
Original Name – ?
History – ?
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The Life Guards 1945
The Royal Horse Guards ? – 1948
The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) ? – November 1950 (5)
The Royal Horse Guards 1950 – 1952 (1)
The Life Guards 1952 – 1953
13th/18th Hussars 1953 – 1956
12th Royal Lancers 1956 – 1959 (4)
1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry) 1959 – 1964
Queens’ Royal Irish Hussars 1964 – 1968
5th Royal Tank Regiment 1968 – 1969 (2)
3rd Royal Tank Regiment 1969 – 1971 (3)
17th/21st Lancers 1971 – 1975
16th/5th Queen’s Royal Lancers 1975 – Jul 1980
2nd Royal Tank Regiment Nov 1980 – 1984
9th/12th Royal Lancers 1984 – 1987
1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards 1987 -1991
13th/18th Royal Hussars 1991 – 1992

(1) The Royal Horse Guards (RHG) arrived here in November 1950 and left for Windsor on 1 March 1952. The RHG was amalgamated with the Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) to form the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) in 1969.
(2) 5 RTR disbanded in 1969.
(3) 3 RTR leaving for Lumsden Barracks, ‘Falling-Bar-Stool’.
(4) Arriving from Harewood Barracks, Herford, being equipped with Dingos and Armoured Scout Cars playing a part in border patrols.
(5) Departing for Egypt

This photo shows the bomb damaged part of the barracks in the background taken in 1951. It was taken from what was part of the block we called the Cadre Wing. The chap in the photo is Charlie Millward from Barton Hill, Bristol, my best mate at the time and he was going on leave, wonder where he is now, he will be 75.

C E Bowlas (Eddie), ex Trooper Royal Horse Guards

Apart from my initial week in the Royal Armoured Corps attached to 17th/21st Lancers at Basra Lines, Catterick Camp, Yorkshire under Sgt Fairweather, I was from July 1950 to July 1952 in the Household Cavalry, Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)”A” Sqn, and was stationed at Northampton Barracks, Wolfenbüttel from November 1950 until the regiment returned to Windsor arriving back on the 1st March 1952 when we were replaced at Wolfenbüttel by The Life Guards.

At that time looking from the front main admin block to the right was “A”Sqn followed by “B” Sqn. To the left was “HQ” Sqn followed by The Cadre Wing which was partly demolished from a bomb attack. At the head of the complex was the NAFFI/WVS rooms also the cookhouse. We were waited on at the tables by German female staff. If my memory serves me correctly “C” Sqn was in the far right hand corner, opposite to which were the repair hangars.

It was absolutely 5* with three or at the most four to a room compared to Combermere Barracks at Windsor where at the time there were about twenty to a room and you shaved with cold water.

We were equipped with Daimler Armoured and Scout cars and our main remit was to patrol the border with East Germany from Helmstedt to Goslar/Bad Harzburg but went on schemes and exercises to many other places like Celle, Bergen/Belsen, once even going by freight train with all our vehicles to Paderborn, and with hindsight enjoyed every minute.

I can remember about any basement was, I am almost sure, the boiler room under “A” Sqn where we could flog Lyons coffee, or ladies fully fashioned silk stockings to the German boiler man in exchange for Marks, which we could use on Saturday visits by tram possibly as far as Braunchweig. At this time we were paid in BAFS, paper money which we could only use in the NAAFI”.

C E Bowlas (Eddie), ex Trooper Royal Horse Guards

The following four photographs are all Nazi era:

I did NS in The Life Guards from February 1953 to 1955. After training I joined the Regiment at Wolfenbüttel. The Regiment left on November 27th 1953 to return to England, and were held at Warley Barracks in Brentwood until they sailed for Egypt (Balaklava Camp Fanara – click here for a view of the camp) on the Emire Ken on January 7th 1954.

The Canal Zone was a complete contrast to Germany, sand, flies, rows of tents. No local amenities. We did though get an extra 11/6d per week, local overseas allowance, with nowhere to go to spend it. 50 years later we got our GSMs. An experience if nothing else.

The last six months on NS brought riches beyond our dreams, as we went on to full regulars’ pay. Many believed that this was to encourage us to sign on, ” NO ****ing way ….Sir”, but the real reason was that post war national service was originally for 18 months, the Korean war caused an increase to 24 months. The last 6 months were therefore compensated for by the increase in pay.

Ian

Northampton Barracks was home to an Armoured Recce Regiment equipped initially with Armoured Cars (Ferret/Saladin) then from the 70’s onwards CVR/T). Being a single unit garrison, and being some distance from virtually every one else in BAOR, gave Wolfenbuttel the reputation of being the “best”, THE “plum”, Royal Armoured Corps posting in BAOR. Whether in practice this turned out to be fact or fiction can only be answered by those who were stationed there.

Tiny

12th Royal Lancers celebration of Moy Day (28th August 1956) – the regimental memorial day. A day which commemorated a famous cavalry charge made by the regiment in August 1914 at Moy-sur-Aisne.

Courtesy of L/Cpl 23180532 Tony Hallam, 12th Royal Lancers

The main gate as it stands today.

As above.

The plaque as can be viewed on the central gate post above.

I have just been on a number of sites to see some pictures of (one of) my old base(s) in Germany and there is much talk of tunnels and an underground hospital. I can vouch for the fact that there was an extra level of cellar accessible under one half of the flat roofed block. The only way down to it was through the floor as there was a hole you could drop through: you had to have something in there to climb out again though as there were no stairs. I used to sneak a crafty fag down there some times when on guard. I seem to remember seeing what looked like slab tables down there, so could it have been a mortuary at some time. As far as I’m aware that was the only place where you could access any extra level. I can also vouch for the fact that there did used to be a .22 range in one of the attics, but I can’t for certain remember which block it was. I hope this is of interest to someone out there.

Harry McEvoy, ex 13/18 H + LD.

NAAFI, Cook House & Cpl’s Mess

Regimental HQ

B & C Sqn Blocks

Rear View

A painting on the wall of an upper room in “A” Squadron Block in Wolfenbütttel

Courtesy of IS