The Life Guards in Germany 1945-92

Following the end of hostilities in 1945 The Life Guards, the senior regiment of the British Army, were stationed in Goslar in the Harz region of Germany.

Over the next forty-seven years they were based at a number of locations. From 1971 Detmold in North Rhine-Westphalia became a regular posting alternating every few years with the Blues and Royals to the Household Cavalry’s main base in Windsor.

In 1992 as a result of service reductions following the end of the Cold War the Household Cavalry was reduced to a single armoured regiment of five squadrons at Windsor as well as the mounted ceremonial regiment based at Hyde Park in London.

In August 2016 I went on a tour of the locations in Germany and recorded those barracks which were accessible.

Use at the time of my visit in 2016 was as follows:-

Hastings Barracks, Goslar is used by the local authority.

Northampton Barracks, Wolfenbuttel is now a campus of the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences.

Montgomery Barracks, Kladow, Berlin, is now the Bundeswehr’s Blucher Kaserne. Apart from the photo of the front gate, no photography was attempted.

Luneburg Barracks is mostly used by small businesses, some is in use by one of the major commercial banks and more is used by local authorities. As I entered a seperate are there was a small group of people sitting in the sun. They turned out to be a special police group. Naturally they wanted to know what I wanted. When I explained one of them took my driving licence and went to check with his boss that it was OK for me to take photos. After I’d finished, the original group had disappeared and some new people were outside the main block and so the ID question started again.

Harewood Barracks, Herford is now a refugee centre and no photography was permitted.

Lothian Barracks, Detmold is now in mixed use. The barrack block area is residential. The officer’s mess, NAAFI/QM Stores/Cookhouse and adjacent building are used as a school and other community activities and the tank park is an industrial estate.

Athlone Barracks, Sennelager is still in use by the British Army and access is obviously restricted.

Thanks are due to Bernard (Timber) Wood (RIP), Ted Land and other former members of the regiment, and to Steve and JPW of BFG Locations forum for their help in identifying the precise locations concerned.

Comments

Clive Bishop says

2020-09-30 at 17:58

I served at 11 OFP, RAOC, Emilienstrasse, Detmold ’54 -’56; in the meantime our good friend Richard Willett (now terminally ill) was serving in the Life Guards in London.

George. Irvine says

2020-10-02 at 10:20

Didn’t see any pics from Harefield Bks. in.Herford. Did I miss them?

- rogerviggers says
  
  2021-01-30 at 22:20
  
  The photos of Harfield Bks are from across the road as there is no access permitted.
  
Stuart Lusher says

2023-02-01 at 18:35

Served with both LG and BR at Detmold as REME LAD. Please could you include some photos of the units and armour etc for the 1980’s.

- rogerviggers says
  
  2023-02-01 at 18:41
  
  Sorry Clive, the eighties are after my time. I left Detmold in Autumn 1975 and the regiment about six months later.
  
Michelle Gratton says

2023-03-14 at 10:27

Hi I am travelling to Detmold today with my parents. I was born in Detmold, my dad was based at Lothian Barracks from early 70’s and I was born 1973. Not sure if it’s worth a visit today and how far the old barracks are from the centre. Any help would be appreciated.
Michelle Gratton
My dad was Albert Gratton

- rogerviggers says
  
  2023-03-15 at 15:13
  
  Hi Michelle,
  Lothian Barracks are about a twenty minute walk from the town centre. The former barrack blocks are now residential flats, the old WOs&NCOs Mess is a prayer house and the officer’s mess is a school. The tank park is now an industrial estate. I’m not sure what the old cookhouse/QMs Store and NAAFI are used for.
  Have a good trip.

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