6th Infantry Brigade

[Anjoucollector]

Good evening,

is it possible to date this badge ? Thank you

[54Bty]

Post 1947.

Marc

[grey_green_acorn]

Pre 1970 when on the introduction of dpm combat kit formation badges were no longer to be worn. Also 6th Infantry Brigade became 6th Armoured Brigade around 1970 when units moved from UK to BAOR taking over locations from 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.

Tim

[Dan M]

Originally Posted by grey_green_acorn

Also 6th Infantry Brigade became 6th Armoured Brigade around 1970 when units moved from UK to BAOR taking over locations from 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.

Of the 10 Canadian Army camps in the BAOR zone in 1970, eight were turned over to the British Army, one to the Luftwaffe and one to the Heer.

In Soest, Fort Henry, the Canadian brigade group HQ camp, became Saint Sebastien Barracks and HQ for the 6th Armoured Brigade.

Fort Chambly, which had the workshop and QM stores, as well as a satellite airfield, was the last camp turned over in late 1971. It became Salamanca Barracks housing 16 LAD Regiment, RA, and 660 Squadron, AAC.

In Werl, Fort Victoria became Vitoria Barracks, with 115 Provost Company.

Fort St. Louis became Albuhera Barracks and Fort Anne became Albuhera Barracks Annex with 1 Queen's.

In the former Deilinghofen, now Hemer, Fort MacLeod (the first camp to be turned over) became Barrosa Barracks and home to 1 Royal Irish Rangers.

Fort Prince of Wales, the Canadian artillery barracks and also with a satellite airfield, became Peninsula Barracks and home for 2 RHA.

Finally, in Iserlohn, Fort Beausejour (which in 1957 was Epsom Barracks and taken over from the British for the Canadians new armoured regiment) became Corunna Barracks and housed 26 Engineer Regiment.

The BMH Iserlohn also lost a couple of hundred Canadian medical personnel.

Apparently the ice hockey rinks in the Canadian camps were not appreciated by their new tenants and were subsequently used for storage.

Cheers,
Dan.

[grey_green_acorn]

Dan,
Excellent detail, thank you as it brought back good memories of my time at HQ 6th Armoured Brigade at St Sebastian Barracks, Korbecke from October 1972 to July 1974. My wife worked for the Sixth Sense weekly newspaper which I believe was also inherited from 4CMBG. I don't remember the ice hockey rinks, they must have been reused by then. There was a "stockade" military jail in a camp near St Sebastian which I think was occupied by 4th Field Ambulance.

Tim

[Dan M]

Originally Posted by grey_green_acorn

Excellent detail, thank you as it brought back good memories of my time at HQ 6th Armoured Brigade at St Sebastian Barracks, Korbecke from October 1972 to July 1974.

Tim, thank you for the kind words. Yes, St. Sebastien was so far south from Soest it was actually in Korbecke. Correspondence from the camp would show it having a Korbecke telephone exchange.

Originally Posted by grey_green_acorn

I don't remember the ice hockey rinks, they must have been reused by then.

As I recall, not all the camps had a rink. Fort Henry could have been one of those without. I believe there was one at Fort York, which went to the Heer.

Originally Posted by grey_green_acorn

There was a "stockade" military jail in a camp near St Sebastian which I think was occupied by 4th Field Ambulance.

The detention barracks were across the road to the north of the main camp. It was offset a distance from the road and surrounded by thick forest, so it could not been seen by passing motorists.

The Canadian field ambulance moved twice over the 18 years the brigade was there, but I don't believe they were garrisoned with the stockade. The stockade was a stand alone facility. When the brigade moved south the Field Ambulance was at Fort Anne near Werl.

Cheers,
Dan.

[Anjoucollector]

Thank you all for your precise replies

Laurent

[grey_green_acorn]

Dan,
Thanks again. I was the British 4 Field Ambulance RAMC that I think occupied the Detention Barracks. We presumably sent our bad soldiers to Colchester!

tim