I trust you will excuse me for intruding, I know it is a sad time for many, however, 6thy February is always special to me, and my arrival at Langeleben. Of course it has sad memories for many more, the day that Manchester United crashed at Munich Airport, the first news I received on arrival, not a good beginning. Of course it was snowing, and it was freezing, a good deal more snow and ice than we have seen recently, and for many more than 20 years! It was certainly one helluva place to be in 1958, and there there still a great many memories that are hard to believe, even now. Was it really as bad as I remember.
I realise we all have our own favourite memories and it was great to meet Ernie at the first Reunion I attended - we played football for 101 together.
I still enjoy musing over the gallery very regularly, but there are a number of things that bug me! We all passed the notice in front of the wagons every time we went on Watch, and I have no idea now what it said! I will start with just two easy ones, what was the purpose of the small wooden building between the Cookhouse and the Wagons? I can honestly say that I never saw the inside of the place.
If we can crack the first one, I believe Tom can do the necessary on one or more of the prominent photographs.
There are a few more if anyone is interested, of course alot of water has gone under the bridge since then - 51 years of it. Should anyone be interested to help, I would be delighted to hear from them.
Just look at the snow, now they were real winters, Langeleben winters!
Geoff Buckley a 5710, never seen before at Langeleben in Feb. '58, I certainly do remember that, and the lads of 'D' Watch made sure of that!
Ernie Callaghan
Just congratulating Geoff on his first post and thinking about that football team in 1958 when we won the league and because we only played as a guest team we were denied the trophy As a 5704 I preceded Geoff by a couple of months and arrived at Langeleben the week before Christmas 1957, being Langeleben during the festivities it was 3 days before anyone with any rank realised I had arrived and I spent the first weekend in Schumanns with L/Cpl. Rusty Rosson who had travelled down from the Regiment with me. I remember vividly the Manchester United plane crash at Munich as we were on watch as the news filtered through on the sets, there was a lot of "Nil heards" pencilled on logs that night.
RonB
Hello Geoff,
I was at Langeleben in 56/57 and also have happy memories. One event comes to mind with the bad weather. One of the drivers took the space heater out of his wagon, connected batteries and put it under his bed while he went for cocoa(?). He was unexpectedly delayed and on return found smoke pouring out of the tent and the bed on fire. The fire buckets were frozen solid so I think they had to douse it with snow
The little shed, I believe, was the equivalent of the Birgelen ‘Cipher Room’. I was only in there once. It housed a small teleprinter, desk and chair, and a standard six foot table. Was the technical term ‘Table, 6ft., folding. G.S.? The chap who allowed me in referred to the machine as his ‘bombe’, and I had to look the other way when he set it up. Whether it was a distant relation of the Enigma machines we learned of later, I don’t know.
The notice probably said ‘NO UNAUTHORISED PERSONNEL BEYOND THIS POINT’, but I prefer ‘FOR SALE, LOW MILEAGE, VERY RELIABLE, ONE CAREFUL OWNER’.
All the best
Ron
Geoff Buckley
Langeleben 58/59
Thanks for responding Ron and it will help me make a start - actually I do like the second suggestion as well, because up until recently we were regular visitors to Beltring in Kent (the annual War & Peace Show) and I have to say that some of the QLR's attending were in real tip top condition.
There was no doubt the owners were fanatics, and with the mileage on the vehicles beyond belief, it is a good job they were. At least two had equipment in superb condition and they spent the weekend (with lots of visitors) talking to the world, maybe even some of the lads to whom we used to listen.
Good to hear from you Ernie, here's wishing Marlene and yourself success with the magazine, and we will certainly give the 'Buddy' system a whirl. After talking to Marlene a little while ago, I think after 50 years we really should start searching for 'The Vicar', or at least the lads of 'D' Watch should.
Geoff
Geoff Buckley
Thought I should let you know Ron, that I received a cracking response direct from Bill Lloyd with some more super photographs of the 'shed'.
Additionally, he had cracked that notice - "Only 245 days to go so hurry up with the beer". I just knew Tom was being kind to 'red arsed joskins' like me! However, we must all have one (or two) on that when we get together again.
In one of the photographs that Bill sent, the fuel tanks could be seen much more clearly - trouble is it is black & white again, and for the life of me I do not remember whether they were painted black or green? It did not seem important then, I wish it would stay that way, but far better than looking at the credit crunch all day.
