British Embassy - Vienna - post-war

Hello

I realise that this isn't strictly WW2 related, but here goes anyway.

I'm trying to find out where the British Embassy in Vienna was located post-war (up to the 1960's preferably) as I can't find it listed anywhere!

I've tried the FCO but so far nothing back yet and just wondered if the helpful people here might have come across it in their journey's.

Many thanks for any guidance or help.

Cheers

Old Bill

 

Old Bill

After the Russians moved out of the Schoenbrunn Palace - and we spent three weeks cleaning it up with 750 men in three daily

shifts - the army of occupation(AFHQ) under Lt.Gen "Windy " Gale moved in and I suspect the British Embassy was lodged there as

well as the Russians were not about to give buildings away…

Cheers

 

Hi Tom

Many thanks for the reply - its much appreciated. I don't suppose you know if it was there up until the 1960's do you? I'll do some searches and see if that yields any results.

Cheers

OB

 

OB

The Russians moved out of Austria in the late 55's thus giving everyone some freedom to act civilly so I would suspect that most Embassies became

anxious to set to up their own little bit of home…

Cheers

 

Owen

That's a really good find - excellent. Its for a bit of research for a book I'm working on, which will probably only take up a line or two in the finished manuscript. But I do like to get details accurate when I can.

£3.30 here we come.....

Cheers

Old Bill

 

Oh I think we can - just - stretch the budget to that, so you can sleep easy

 

Hi Owen

I haven't yet - had a few things to sort out over the past few days. I'll do it today and let the board know.

OB

 

Ok - tried it.

All it says is "British Embassy - Vienna - Austria."

Which is a little annoying and frustrating!!! I'm guessing that it must have been somewhere in the "embassy district" but its exact location could be anywhere.

If anybody has any information, I would as ever be very grateful.

Best

Old Bill

 

OB,

have you tried to call the embassy in Vienna of today? I am sure someone will know at what address they were in earlier days.

I checked the names of the ambassadors over the years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ambassadors_of_the_United_Kingdom_to_Austria

May be you find the adress via those names.

Stefan

 

Hi Stefan

Yes I sent an email to the embassy the other week, but am still waiting on a reply. I'll do a check from the reverse perspective, like you say, the ambassador and see if that throws anything up.

In the grand scheme of things its an unimportant detail and I can probably work around it. Its just that now its been so difficult to find I WANT to find it just so it doesn't beat me!

Thanks for all your help and suggestions guys.

Cheers

OB

 

Ha, ha - Mystery solved!!!!

using my detective skills and google fu.........it was a 50 room building on the Rennweg - which I understand is one of the main thoroughfares. Phew!

OB

 

Old Bill
On a trip to Vienna in 1980 - we were stuck in the worst hotel- Meidlinger haus - in that beautiful City -so one of the

lads decided to complain to the Embassy- he was complaining like mad when the duty officer cut in to say " we can appreciate your

problem Wing Commander - But it's the Queens birthday and we are all off to get drunk " CLICK….leaving Peter Walker RAF AFC

apoplectic with rage-- the Meidlinger Haus had been " off limits " to us in the late 40's..we moved the next day…

Cheers

 

With due respect, I would enter a note of caution regarding the use of "Embassy" in relation to Austria in the immediate post-WW2 period. Ambassadors, based in Embassies, are exchanged between sovereign states, and Austria was not a sovereign state between 12 March 1938, the date of the Anschluss, and 27 July 1955, the coming into force of the Austrian State Treaty between France, UK, USA, and USSR, on the one part, and the Republic of Austria, on the other. From 1945 until that date Austria was occupied territory, with four occupation zones, analogous to those of Germany, and Vienna, like Berlin, wholly enclosed within the Soviet zone, also, like Berlin, divided into four Allied sectors. Whatever representation the UK had in Vienna before 27 July 1955, I cannot see how it could have been at Ambassador level.

 

Drayton

Whilest you may be correct in stating that there was in fact NO Embassy in Vienna -owing to the 1938 Anschluss and WW2

it would appear that WIKI has a different view in posting #12 where there are a series of Ambassadors from Sir Henry Mack 1946-48 to

at least Sir James Bowker in 1958 - 61 - July 1955 sounds about right for the withdrawal of the Russian forces from at least Vienna

if not from all of Austria- but then my memory might be fading a bit…

cheers

 

Ha some great stories there chaps.

It appears my detective skills were slightly off - probably no more than a 100 yards or so - but off nonetheless.

I actually heard back from the embassy the other day, and during the time period that I am looking for the embassy was based around the corner from its current location on the Jauresgasse 12.

Hope that clears some points up.

Old Bill