I have a photo with Entrance to Celle April 1945 - (Gestapo camp) written on the back. It is of a group of Queens Alexandra Imperial Military Nurses and I suspect it may have been taken by my mother. She was stationed at 74 Br Gen Hospital Luneburg, and I believe they dealt with some of the inmates of Belsen. Are Celle and Belsen the same place? Can anyone positively identify the photo or add details to 74 Br Gen Hospital's involvement with Belsen? Any info would be much appreciated as my mum died when I was six and I am only now trying to document her wartime experience. I have her QAIMNS records and a dozen or so photos or her time as a QAIMNS nurse.
Hi. That is the main entrance to Bergen Hohne Barracks which is about 1 mile up the road from Belsen. Bergen-Hohne Garrison - Wikipedia scroll through and you’ll see the main entrance. Think it’s Trenchard Barracks. Alex
According to BAOR Locations "used between 1937 and 1945 as the gas training school and rocket artillery (used first as smoke and gas, then changed to explosive shells), known as; Nebel Truppe" No mention of Gestapo use.
Thank you all for the various answers. It would certainly seem to confirm the fact that as part of 74 Br Gen Hospital Luneburg she would have come face to face with the horrors of Belsen. I can't even imagine what that must have been like.
Former "von Seeckt-Kaserne" and home of the "Heeresgasschutzschule" https://www.celle.de/media/custom/2092_2818_1.PDF?1412845077
Belsen became a hellhole far beyond any sane human imagination. Besides the grievous mass extinction there the surrounding landscape was literally littered with further mass graves. The infamous Gardelegen atrocity is just one of numerous mortal sins who´re closely connected to Belsen: Gardelegen atrocity; German civilians gather food; bombing of train yard - Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Memorial "Celler Hasenjagd" - Celle - TracesOfWar.com Nazi Death Marches: Book Details German Citizens' Role in End of War Killings - DER SPIEGEL - International And I know of far too much so-called „minor incidents“ who never found their way into the official histories....
Celle was home to two schools: gas and nebeltruppen. There was also a small concentration camp but I will need to try to remember where I have seen its details.
According to the BAOR account of Trenchard Barracks - as the Seeckt Kaserne it was originally a gas school which then became a smoke (ie fog - nebel) school so only one school at any time.
I have had a bit more of a dig about and it as everybody says it was the "Heeresgasschutzschule"" on the outskirts of Celle. This appears to be about 26 km from the actual Bergen-Belsen camp. No real idea what the nurses were doing in front of the gate although as the building seems to be intact, and has survived to the present day, perhaps it had been requisitioned as some sort of camp\hospital for Bergen-Belsen inmates. Guess may never know why they were there, but at least I know exactly where they were!
According to the planning documents drawn up after the BAOR left the area outside the barracks contains graves protected under the German Law on the conservation of the graves of the victims of war and tyranny and other German documents refer to the "so called army gas protection school" implying that it was something different. The area was definitely a smoke (nebel) experimental and development area. Possibly the graves are those of experimental subjects obtained from Belsen up the road. "Nebel" concealed a lot of things and not only physically. The BAOR site lists the first British unit in the Trenchard barracks as being there in 1956 however the German documents are firm that the area was used to house British forces from 1945
The Gasschutzschule was originally for training in, for and against chemical warfare and also use of smoke apparatus and rockets. Later there was also the Werfer-Lehr-Regiment 2 as training facility for the "Moaning Minnies" Both schools were of purely military nature. Chemical warfare proving facilities were located some km afar in the Heeresversuchstelle Munster-Nord, research for chemical warfare agents in Heeresgasschutzlaboratorium Spandau, Berlin The only known war cemetery outside the barracks is the Celle war cemetery direct nearby. (who is of course protected under the German Law on the conservation of the graves of the victims of war and tyranny) Cemetery Would strongly assume the Hospital was located at the barracks
According to City of Celle Department IV - Building, Environment, Urban Development, Technical Services Department 60.1 - Urban Planning Early participation concept for the 91st amendment of the land use plan of the city of Celle “commercial building areas at the Hohe Wende " There are graves in the barracks area - this doesn't necessarily mean a cemetery
Once again thank you for all the additional information. Slight admission in that I must have added the "gestapo" bit in my notes. Just checked the original the album and it simply states "Celle gates - April 1945". Must have picked up the gestapo bit somewhere but no idea where! Apologies!
hendog, You may find the thread Was my grandad really one of the first into Belsen? particulary #35 of interest. Also the Celle Massacre Celle massacre - Wikipedia Tim
74 (British) General Hospital with 8 Mobile Bacteria Laboratory attached was in Infanterie Kaserne later Worcester Barracks, Lüneburg, the hospital moved out early 1946 and HQ 30th Corps District moved in 15 Apr 46 Von Seeckt Kaserne Celle later Trenchard Barracks was used by HQ 84 Group RAF from late 1945, moving from Scheuen north of Celle where they had been since Jun 45, so must assume the barracks were a PW/DP Camp as most were at that time, by 15 Feb 48 the RAF moved out and Hannover District (formerly HQ 7th Armd Div) moved in from Bad Rothenfelde south-east of Osnabrück. Have 121 (British) General Hospital listed in Celle Jun 45, exact location unknown moving to Braunschweig by Jan 46. https://britisharmyingermany.com (under construction)
This is fascinating. Her unit, the 74th General Hospital, was based in Bruges up until May when it moved to Luneberg. When you look on the map Celle is on a route to Luneberg so it is possible they were passing through on their way to Luneberg. However going by the account on #35 and the date of April on the photo it would seem possible that they were sent there specifically to care for the poor souls as described. It certainly has brought home some of the ghastly sights she must have seen and had to deal with. I believe 74th also did the autopsy on Himmler at Luneberg and Lord Haw Haw was also a patient.
Just in case they are of any interest to anyone here is a link to the rest of the photos. Queens Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve Images
