Barker Barracks Explained
Barker Barracks |
Type: | Barracks |
Map Type: | Germany |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Germany |
Location: | Paderborn |
Built: | 1930s |
Used: | 1930s – 2019 |
Built For: | Third Reich |
Garrison: | Westfalen Garrison |
Barker Barracks was a military installation in Paderborn, Germany.
Description
Barker Barracks was located in the east of Paderborn, about two kilometres from the city centre. The barracks was bordered by Driburger Straße to the south, the Berliner Ring to the west, Piepenturmweg to the north-west and a rail line to Paderborn railway station to the north-east.
The installation was a typical example of Nazi-era barracks built in the 1930s. The buildings were often three-storey with a high ground floor and two higher floors. The farm buildings were two-storey with higher storey heights for kitchen and dining room use. Separate from these areas there was a technical or a functional area. Here, buildings were built that were specifically needed by the accommodated units, such as halls for motorized vehicles, guns and workshops. In addition, there was a staff building and an officers' mess.
The barracks, with approximately 54 hectares of land, were divided from south to north into three building zones. In the south was the first building zone with ten symmetrical crew quarters in north-south orientation and two buildings in east-west orientation in which the guard and offices were housed. In the second building zone there were also twenty symmetrically arranged buildings, which, like the crew quarters, were set up in north-south orientation. The third building zone in the north consisted of workshops of various sizes as well as maintenance halls, a church and a fuel depot. The crew quarters as well as the guard and the offices formed the main entrance of Barker Barracks.[1]
History
Third Reich use
Under Wehrmacht control, from the 1930s, the barracks was home to "training and replacement tank battalion 500". The majority of crews for the Tiger tank, to crew the independent German heavy tank battalions, were trained here.
British use
For use by the British Army, the barracks was re-named after General Sir Evelyn Barker. Until 1962, Barker Barracks had been home to only a single British unit. British units stationed in Barker Barracks were:[2] [3] [4] [5]
- Dec 1948 – Jul 1951. 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards (moved from York Barracks, Munster and then to Talavera Barracks, Aldershot)
- Jul 1951 – Apr 1959. 8th Royal Tank Regiment (moved from Shaiba Lines, Catterick and then to Wessex Barracks, Fallingbostel)
- Aug 1957 – Dec 1959. 17th/21st Lancers (moved to Piddlehinton)
- Apr 1959 – Mar 1964. 10th Royal Hussars (moved from Swinton Barracks, Munster and then to Lucknow Barracks, Tidworth)
- Feb 1964 – Dec 1966. 13th/18th Hussars (moved from Wessex Barracks, Fallingbostel and then to Cachy Barracks, Perham Down)
- Dec 1966 – Jun 1970. 14th/20th King's Hussars (moved from Cachy Barracks, Perham Down and then to Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth)
- Nov 1970 – Jun 1979. Queen's Royal Irish Hussars (moved to Bhurtpore Barracks, Tidworth)
- Jul 1979 – Nov 1986. 3rd Royal Tank Regiment (moved from Bhurtpore Barracks, Tidworth and then to Allenby Barracks, Bovington)
- Nov 1986 – Jul 1992. 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards (amalgamated with 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, to form The Royal Dragoon Guards)
- Jul 1992 – Jul 1996. Royal Dragoon Guards (moved to Aliwal Barracks, Tidworth)
- Aug 1996 – Jun 1999. 1st Royal Tank Regiment (moved to RAF Honington as part of the new Joint NBC Regiment)
- Infantry:
- Royal Artillery
- Jan 1962 – Nov 1972. 24 Missile Regiment Royal Artillery (moved from Assaye Barracks, Neinburg and then to Ubique Barracks, Dortmund)
- Nov 1972 – Jan 1978. 45 Medium Regiment Royal Artillery (moved from Ubique Barracks, Dortmund and then to Haig Barracks, Hohne)
- Jan 1978 – Apr 1984. 25 Field Regiment Royal Artillery (moved from Dennis Barracks, Munsterlager and then disbanded)
- Apr 1984 – Jan 1990. 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (moved from Hopton Barracks, Devizes and then to Kirkee Barracks, Colchester)
- Jan 1990 – May 1993. 45 Field Regiment Royal Artillery (moved from Kirkee Barracks, Colchester and then disbanded)
- Royal Engineers
- unknown – Apr 1950. REME Technical Training School BAOR (moved to Glamorgan Barracks, Duisburg)
- circa 1979. 57 Station Workshop REME
- unknown. 20 Close Support Company REME
- 1995 – 2007. 3 Battalion REME (moved from Hobart Barracks, Detmold) (to be renamed 3 (Close Support) Battalion REME)
- 2007 – 2019. 3 (Close Support) Battalion REME
- 2019. The last remaining troops were withdrawn and the barracks closed.[7]
Notes and References
- https://www.paderborner-konversion.de/standort/barker Barker
- https://books.google.com/books?id=FPAMQ3oIT_4C&q=%22royal+irish%22&pg=PA90 The British Army in Germany: An Organizational History 1947–2004
- http://www.baor-locations.org/paderborn.aspx.html Paderborn
- http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/ British Army Units 1945 On.
- http://britisharmyiniserlohn.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/4-guards-brigade-1964-to-1968.html 4th Infantry later Guards Brigade – 1947 to 1977
- http://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/units/28650.aspx 35 Engineer Regiment
- Web site: Confirmed, 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade Will Leave Germany. Warfare Today. 17 March 2018. 22 May 2020.