A New Beginning
Instructions were given that contact with the population was to be restricted to official matters only and fraternization forbidden. We had no problems with the population and this order was lifted in October. Duties were not difficult and when a young Officer was detailed to get sporting teams organised I joined the boxing team which excused me drill parades and guards. I only had two fights in inter Regiment contests losing one and winning the other.
It was here that I met my future wife and, mixing with her family and friends, I was able to improve my knowledge of the German language which proved to be very valuable.
Early in January 1946 I was detailed to pick three men and accompany a young Officer in a small van to Marienheide just north of Cologne. It was not until we arrived that I was told our job was to prepare a former Hitler Jügend barracks to accommodate men from various units who would be enjoying a skiing holiday. We took over the local Estaminet where six German ski instructors were living. They had been employed the previous week. The Officer then left giving me instructions to telephone him when snow fell. It was a cushy job because we never had more than a light fall of snow one night which had disappeared in the morning. It was a very cold winter and we enjoyed skating on the village pond and the local kids were happy to get chocolate from us.
A panic phone call one morning in February ordered us to return immediately to Bonn The Battalion had been ordered to move to Kiel Holtenau and it was only at the last minute they remembered our existence. Another cushy job in charge of the German staff engaged in cleaning and repairing the barracks again excused me parades and guard duty until I left for England in late April for demob. I had applied to join the Control Commission for Germany which was overseeing the running of the country
A couple of months later I was back in Germany with a section of MI 5 with the job of hunting down suspected war criminals and keeping an eye on any possible subversive movement. A year later I was appointed Registrar of Köln High Court as the result of meeting a Wing Commander I knew who had been appointed Head of the Legal Branch in the Control Commission. I had no legal knowledge but I don't know a Guardsman who isn't willing to tackle anything.
A non fraternation ban with Germans had been set in place at the end of the war. It was lifted about October 1945 but there remained a ban on marriage. This was lifted in 1947 and I was the first to get permission. We had been issued with Khaki uniforms to avoid being taken for Germans but Army Officers complained that, as we had no need to salute, it was causing a problem with army personnel. Our uniforms were then dyed black which made the Germans think we were the British equivalent of the Gestapo.
In 1948 the Russian closure of entry to Berlin resulted in the inability to get supplies to the people. There was panic call for anyone with experience to join the large airlift that was being organized. I was seconded from my job for three months and took part in Air traffic Control in Hamburg
In late 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany was formed merging the three zones under occupation by Britain, America and France. The Control Commission wound down and I returned to England in May 1950
I had bought a new car (my first) from the Ford factory in Hamburg. Duty free it cost me £160. We managed to get everything we owned stacked in it with 6 week old daughter Helga in a carry cot on top of suitcases. There was just room for son Peter to squeeze in. We left before dawn which should have given us plenty of time to catch the ship at Calais. Many miles of road works in Belgium slowed us down and we arrived at the Port 30 minutes late. Having to stay the night in a hotel I had no Francs but was lucky to find an Englishman owned the hotel we went to who was happy to take Sterling. It was 11 years since as an eager 18 year old I had first landed there full of excitement at being in a foreign land. Next day the ship arrived in Folkstone late afternoon and, having to adjust to driving on the left in a car designed for right hand driving, I took it slowly and we spent the night in Canterbury.
The next day we arrived at my parent’s home in Liverpool late at night. A slow journey due to having to make frequent stops to feed and change Helga.
Life in Germany had been inexpensive with many free entertainment facilities and a good overseas allowance. Having no experience of working in a civilian capacity, the CCG had been really an extension of Army life; I’d had the foresight to realize I needed to think of what career I would take up when the CCG inevitably wound up. Having a family meant I needed to earn a good salary quickly so there would be no time for trade training. Exploring the job market via the Liverpool newspaper I’d had my mother send me it appeared Salesmen were well paid. In 1948 I’d started a two year correspondence course in Salesmanship and Management which proved to be extremely valuable in the years ahead.
STARTING A NEW LIFE AT THE AGE OF 29 WITH A WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN AND IN A COUNTRY THAT WAS SOMEWHAT STRANGE AFTER YEARS AWAY WAS A DAUNTING PROSPECT.
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