Me, outside the barracks
In 1994 we, Susan, Lee, John, Sarah and I took a fortnight’s holiday in Rastenberg, an area which had formerly been part of East Germany. It had been agreed that we would drive up to Minden during this holiday, so that I could revisit the barracks and town. We made an abortive first attempt at this journey, driving by what appeared to be the most direct route according to the map. However, such was the chaos on the roads in the former communist area, that we abandoned this first attempt after about four hours of frustration.
The mayhem was mainly due to the fact that the new authorities seemed to have decided to renew all the roads at once. The most common road sign was “umleitung”, which translates as “diversion”. Having relatively few roads anyway, and distances being so great in this sprawling country, a diversion could take you twenty or thirty miles away from your planned route, and what’s more you were very likely to find a subsidiary umleitung to the umleitung you were already following! The roads were appalling, and the work was certainly needed to bring the network up to date, but did it all have to be done at once? I would liken the road surfaces to the worst to be found in Britain about sixty years ago!
We set out much earlier the next day, and decided to use the autobahns. This was a far better plan, but the journey to Minden still took us until the late afternoon. We went to look at the camp, but found it closed down and abandoned, with the gates firmly closed and locked. An hour or so wandering round the town and eating a hot takeaway pizza, and it was back on the autobahn, via Hannover and Magdeburg, then south and eventually returning to our holiday home at 4.15 a.m.
We returned to Germany in 1998, this time to Frielendorf, south of Kassel. The journey to Minden was considerably shorter than before and this time, when we arrived at the barracks the gates were open and there were signs of building activity. We drove in and parked just inside the gate.We walked around and I showed the family a few things that I had described to them in the past. I have the distinct feeling that if I come back again this will all have been demolished and turned into a housing estate. I must look on the bright side, however, and be happy that the world situation is much more stable than when I was a soldier, even having regard to present difficulties.
To find out all the latest developments at the barracks sites around Minden, see the Royal British Legion, Minden website where you will find photographs, both historical and modern. This is a most informative site and the Branch Secretary and webmaster, John Hession a most delightful man.
Parade ground