San Sebastian Barracks & Bottom Camp - B.A.O.R (Soest)


Fort Henry

Once home to:

 

Brigade Headquarters Canadian Forces Europe

 

                1 field Detention Barracks (1FDB)

1955-1970 4 Signal Squadron, Royal Canadian Corps of Signals

1955-1970 4 MP Platoon, Canadian Forces Military Police

1969-1970 4 Service Battalion Finance Platoon

1955-1970 Maple Leaf Services (MLS)

 

Fort Henry was handed over to the B.A.O.R in 1970 and renamed San Sebastian Barracks and the Annex to Bottom Camp

 


San Sebastian Barracks

Home and Headquarters to:

 

1952 6th Armoured Division

3rd Armoured Division

3rd Armoured Division Headquarter and Signal Regiment

6th Armoured Brigade

 

The Barracks closed on the 30 April 1993


San Sebastian Barracks has since been converted into an industrial estate with small workshops etc.

The main gate and Guardroom have gone as with a lot of other buildings, the layout of the camp is pretty much the same but extended some what.

 

I found it hard to identify some of the original buildings as they have been converted for other use, the photos in the galley are of what i believe to have been the remainder of the original ones, i could identify the former cook house and gym.

 

Bottom Camp has not changed much at all the buildings have been painted and company slogans have been added, if these where romoved it would look just as it did back then, even the guardroom, gate and Sanger are still present, the lower part of the camp the Detention centre is inaccessible as the owner has forbidden entry to it!


Please view the Video in (HD) for best quality.

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Comments: 18
  • #1

    Steve Sheridan (Monday, 06 October 2014 01:05)

    I worked in San Sebastian from Nov 77 (Cookhouse) until Sept 89 (Sgts Mess), initially as the dependent of a serving member of HM forces, latterly as a civvy employee. Your images stirred lots of nostalgic memories of happy times and people who passed through my life. I struggled to recognise some of the buildings - was the cookhouse included? Picture 8 was of a former bowling alley which I think may have been used as such when the Canadians were in situ but perhaps not during the period I was there. Thanks for sharing!

  • #2

    mick keating (Saturday, 31 January 2015 15:49)

    I worked for the NAAFI here from 1992-1993 the final year it was open, I had a great time working alongside 3ADSR before they went back to Bulford, particularly remember going to the shack a lot of times and the various discos in Soest town centre namely Bei Hempels cant remember its nickname it was known by, also remember Cinderellas, I always went every weekend notably with Mac and Ewan from Scotland,often wonder what happened to them two guys, I made so many good friends there. It was always a good night every night working behind the bar in the NAAFI it was a pleasure serving the lads and lassies there, fond memories indeed.
    I ended up as a NAAFI manager and served over 21 years in Germany until redundancy in 2012, I now live in Spain.

  • #3

    ian gayton (Tuesday, 16 February 2016 19:45)

    thank you for the great photos it has fetched back many memories of my 6 years there in the army catering corps

  • #4

    minyak ikan salmon deep sea (Tuesday, 13 September 2016 07:20)

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  • #5

    Jual Susu Power Mix Sun Hope (Tuesday, 13 September 2016 07:20)

    Thank you very much for the information , very fortunate to be able to visit a nice and useful articles like this, the success of our greetings

  • #6

    Michael phipps (Thursday, 15 September 2016 01:59)

    I was there till 1989 and to me the buildings are exactly as I remembered. I wish you had pics of the prison. That was where we maintained the communications vehicles and at bottom camp we would go on runs through the forest past the running track you showed. I am 51 and I still remember this and it tugs at my emotional cords (especially with that music). I believe that all of us that have served only realize later in life that this is a part of us that never leaves. Your youtube commemoration reunites that of which I had forgotten. Thankyou.

  • #7

    Brian buchanan (Saturday, 29 October 2016 16:01)

    i was at st sebastion from 1970 to 1975.had some great times i was 18 at the time attached to RCT 4fld amb we used to drink in the green shack,the owners then were anna and hanns the meals they cooked were great i lived in block 28 at the time,BUT SPENT MORE TIME in THE PUB. col tysthurst was our co at the time,

  • #8

    andy angus (Sunday, 23 July 2017 12:43)

    I was part of the advance party who took over from the canadians. Also the first brit to hoist the union flag in St Sebastian Barracks

  • #9

    John Chilver (Tuesday, 01 August 2017 12:17)

    1970-73 4Fd Amb the photos bring back good memories of many comrades. This was the closest group of comrades my wife and I had than any unit I served with.
    Great production Kevin.

  • #10

    and (Wednesday, 03 January 2018 12:16)

    I read that Post and got it fine and informative.

  • #11

    Ian Gradon (Wednesday, 25 July 2018 07:56)

    I was one of the last Signalmen to leave when Options for change kicked in and went to 222 sigs at Bulford. I remember stagging on at the main gate and also down at the Annex where my panzer was parked up.

  • #12

    Paul Whybrow (Saturday, 13 April 2019 20:07)

    I served there 1972-76 RCT with 4 fld Amb , anyone got any pictures of the Green Shack

  • #13

    Al (Jock) Leslie (Monday, 20 January 2020 18:55)

    I was posted to Tango Tp 2, Sqn, 3 ADSR in 1986 to 1990. We used to be down the old Canadian Jail then they built the Ptarmigan Garages in 88. one of the pictures shows my old garage where the Tracked Wavell and 2 SAS/MC's were kept. Pub down by the german barracks the Mousy (Mohnehalle) a spiel pub run by Werner and his considerable younger missus who we drooled after!! Big Ben, Old Germany , the Anno 1880, Queens Head and peters nightclub all drinking dens around Soest. Had a fantastic 4 years there

  • #14

    Peter Leese (Tuesday, 28 April 2020 10:16)

    I was part of 4Fld. Amb. LAD REME from 1970 to 1974. I remember moving into the barrack blocks before they were refurbished. Revisited in 2005 and Hans and Anna were still there, running the Shafe Linde or The Green Shack as it was known. The roads had changed so it took me a little while to get my bearings, but once I located the single remaining gate post, it all fell into place.

  • #15

    Billy Wardle (Monday, 01 June 2020 11:11)

    I was REME attachment to 4 fld Amb for 3 years early 73 to Dec 75 . I had some great mates whilst there and still meet up with a few of them every September for a weekend.

  • #16

    Steve 'Taff' Pearce (Tuesday, 11 August 2020 14:33)

    That brings back good memories; a nice barracks. I was stationed at San Sebastian with 6 Armd Bde Sig Sqn as a RTG from 74-77. Ahhh... the days of morse code. Although it was being used less and less, even then. Driving the 432s around was one of the great pleasures. Having been in Oz for almost 40 years now, it seems so long ago; not just a lot of water under the bridge, the bridge has been rebuilt a few times!

  • #17

    Hamish C (Friday, 04 September 2020 00:15)

    I was only there for 6 months, early 1977. Best time in the army. Spoiled me for 'normal' soldiering after that, 22yr man became 9 yr man.

    On a 'hidden' posting working in the office running the Army Newspaper 'Sixth Sense'. A truly amazing experience. The boss was expat British soldier from WWII would had stayed in Werl after the war and married a local girl. He was a millionaire retired businessman who did it for a hobby. How many of you can say that your boss had hung Nazi war criminals. He was just posted to Nuremberg as assistant to the British hangman, the same way as some blokes got posted to Catterick.

    Joined the army at 18, a stupid kid. Then as a married man in my mid-twenties with two kids I realised there was more to life than inflicting the military on my wife and family.

    Posting was a minimum of year, after less than six months recalled for yet another Op Banner tour (I think it was my forth - this was the time when only Marines, Paras and Scot Div units populated West Belfast) as my particular skills were needed. That just about killed it for me.

    So, not only do I have great memories of the job, and the location, I have to thank it for changing my outlook and my life. It is also a beautiful place and if you haven't seen it, go and have a look at the Mohne Dam. Then watch the film 'Dambusters' again with a new appreciation. Respect! My parents came to visit and we went to have a look. My mother just dropped the bombshell that the raid had been on her 18th birthday. That's what I call a present!

    Never got a chance to see it again, although I made numerous trips to Germany on business trips, funnily enough to military units although as a civilian with significant power.

    I know it sounds a bit dramatic, but I can honestly say that my time in St Sebastian Barracks completely changed my life.

  • #18

    Michael Phipps (Saturday, 10 October 2020 16:44)

    Oh Boy I keep coming back here. Down at bottom camp in one of the communication trucks that were secured with one of these massive chub locks secured the back... It was freezzing in the mmorning hours and Chippy Woods couldnt unlock it so he put his tongue on the lock and it stuck on the lock. We all were laughing so hard ... it was a Dumb and Dumber moment..... good and bad moments at this place ... they never leave you.