Memories of a Veteran Part the 8th

Kia Ora, from New Zealand, friends and colleagues

In this post I will complete my story of my 4 years in Berlin, having left you, in the last episode, just as I arrived in this democratic city, trapped 200km inside communist East Germany.

How I Lived

Berlin at that time was like no other place that I had lived before or have lived since. The only time I drove my car again after arriving was to transit down the controlled corridor to get to West Germany, or to return, which was infrequently. Public transport around Berlin was ubiquitous and inexpensive, in fact as a serviceman in uniform I travelled everywhere for free.

3rd Shock Army

We worked hard and we and we played equally hard; knowing that at little, if any, notice, we

were expecting the Warsaw Pact 3rd shock Army to come our way. We were not expecting them to come into Berlin, they would simply encircle us, lock us down, and move rapidly to the North German Plain to confront the NATO Divisions awaiting them. I had been on that North German Plain 4 years previously to arriving in Berlin, on another German posting with the UK 7th Signal Regiment. We of course would do everything we could to break out and disrupt them even if that meant going underground and blending into the local population to do so. How fortunate it never came to that LoL.

The Tripartite Community

Our days were mainly taken up with training for that day but there were also a constant cycle of military tripartite interoperability and planning meetings between the allied military occupying powers of France the US and UK. It had been agreed at the Potsdam conference in 1944 that this was how post-war Germany and Berlin would be governed in peace and the Berlin legislative arrangements remained in place right up until the wall came down in 1989 and Germany was reunited in 1990. The allies effectively controlled West Berlin while the Russians, the fourth wartime allied power, controlled East Berlin. The western allies largely left the Berlin Germans to run their own affairs while the USSR supported a puppet communist regime run by Erich Honecker the leader of East Germany.

Diplomacy and Flag Waving

International diplomacy had an important place in our lives and there was also a seemingly endless cycle of formal galas, cocktail parties, parades, military tattoos and parades. The annual jewel in the crown for the British community stationed in Berlin was the Queens Birhtday Parade held in June each year on the old stadium sports training fields also the home venue of the British Berlin Stadium Rugby Club.\

The Queens Birthday Parade

Each year, in June, an impressive and colourful parade, of representatives from all the British

force units based in Berlin, was mounted. It would always be reviewed by a representative of the Sovereign Queen Elizabeth, or she herself would attend. In my 4 years in Berlin, I was fortunate enough to be presented to the Queen, and The Prince of Wales. Princess Margaret did come to be the sovereigns representative in my third year in Berlin but sadly took ill the night before the Parade and had to be replaced by the British commanding general, so I never achieved that honour with Her Royal Highness.

Chill Time

A favourite activity for Berliners, and their allied guests it happens, was the almost ritualistic Sunday morning Brunch. This would involve going to one of the many live Jazz cafes, in the Berlin suburbs, to read newspapers (we took the British ones with us from the officers mess), listen to live jazz music and enjoy a delicious European style brunch, of cold cuts, breads, spreads and pickles. We would spend 2-3 hours at these places gently socialising and chilling. My appreciation for some of the finer things in life developed a lot in my Berlin days.

History Happening Around Me

Perhaps the most obvious historic happening, as far as the wall was concerned, other than it

appearing in 1961, would be its dismantling. I actually left Berlin 11 months before that, though there were some indicators as I left Berlin, that all was less than okay in Eastern Europe. The Soviet satellites were clearly on the road to losing Mr Gorbachev’s, support while he pursued his self-appointed mission of Glasnost and Perestroika.

History however happened all around me, some of it with significance that has not become clear to me until years later as I pondered it in retrospect

Who Came Visiting?

I saw more concerts in those years than before or since including many artists at the absolute height of performing careers; Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Simply Red, Bowie, the Dire Straits Brothers in Arms Tour, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, even the famous Welsh Diva Shirley

Bassey! There were many others, too numerous to mention here. I remember vividly with my then girlfriend going to see Tina Turner who was a magnificent live performer. Her support act were the group Berlin who sang their famous 'Take my Breath Away' from the Movie Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise. I had watched that movie in the US Sector movie cinema, only weeks before the Turner performance. As one of the allied powers I was also able to have relatively free entry to East Berlin and I often went to have a meal on the 37 floor of the Stadt hotel, or in the revolving restaurant of the famous East Berlin TV tower I also attended ballet, opera and classical music recitals in the East but also at the famous Berlin Philharmonie home of the great Von Karajan.

Death and Sadness

Sadly I also was in West Berlin for the death of attempted escapees across the wall, the last one, 19 year old Chris Gueffroy, lost his life in the month that I departed from Berlin. This ironically was only 11 months before the wall fell. A US Arms inspection Officer, who was on legitimate duties in East Berlin was shot by a nervous young Russian soldier, barely out of training. The soldier refused to let the officers's colleagues get him medical treatment, because the young soldier was confused about his orders and the officer subsequently sadly died.

The Last Nazi Prisoner in Spandau

The last remaining Nazi Prisoner held in Spandau Prison, Rudolf Hess, died. An autopsy presided over by all 4 Berlin occupying powers, provided a verdict of suicide by hanging. Hess was 93, he had been held for 40 years in Spandau prison which was demolished the following day and all the rubble removed to a secret location. An American officer on duty in East Berlin

Reagan at the Wall

When President Ronald Reagan stood on the Western side of the Brandenburg Gate, on 12 Jun 1987 and said words, now famous and linked to the eventual dismantling of the wall, "Mr Gorbachev tear down this wall", I was standing 300 feet in front of him. Two years later the wall fell…..

The Wall Comes Down

It happened with epic speed. A summer of civil unrest, in Eastern Europe culminated in a mass youth demonstration across the GDR in September 1989 (11 months after my departure). October 1989, saw the resignation of Erich Honecker, the GDR leader for the

preceding 18 years.

The East German politburo removed border controls to the west on the 9th November 1989. Some of the most remarkable scenes in European history followed of GDR citizens crossing and standing on top of the wall that eventful night.

Eleven months later Germany was formally reunified, following 28 years of forced separation and the allied occupation was over in Berlin.

I did not realise until many years later what an exciting and momentous time I had lived through and been part of inside the Berlin Wall.

Next Adventure

The next adventure takes place in Belize in Central America to where I returned on a permanent posting some 5 year after first visiting that amazing Caribbean country.

Until then good afternoon from New Zealand, friends and colleagues.

Kia Koa

Kia Kaha

Hamish 🧐

PART THE 9th CAN BE FOUND HERE

YOU CAN READ HERE FROM THE BEGINNING PART THE 1ST