Father was in REME stationed in Hanover 1948 ish Mum said he worked in a factory type place called

Mum said he worked in a place called Hanomak? Something to do with tractors? Wonder if it was really army vehicles . Don't know what division he was in . Mum says he had a horse on his cap badge. He later got posted to Berlin. My Mum was from Hanover. Could anyone shed any light on this? Thanks

 

Hanomag ?

Hanomag - Wikipedia
They certainly produced military stuff during wartime. Have a 'Google' with Sd.Kfz.251

The British went to some lengths to ensure that German factories were quickly able to function again in some way, both as a means of maintaining their own vehicles and to get the population back on a peactime footing.

 

Chris

Apply for his service records - Request records of deceased service personnel - GOV.UK

TD

 

Oops didn't read the title.

 

It is indeed the Hanomag. It's on Gottinger Straße in Hannover. The big square building is still there. It was a dance club in the 90's but more recently it's a retail park. Go on google maps and type in hanomag, et voila!

Alex

 

Thanks very informative. Would love to know what regiment he was in.

 

A Good possibility,30 Workshop Control unit REME. BAOR.
BBC - WW2 People's War - My War Service Part 3

 

Chris

My good friend Historic Steve may be able to add more accurate information but from my working notes and personal knowledge there was a significant REME presence in Hanover from Summer 1945 onwards. The city had been originally captured by the American Army but then handed over to the British Army in late May 1945 as part of a complicated series of moves across Western Germany which saw the Allied Armies concentrate into the three longterm Occupation Zones.

The British Army often seized suitable ex Wehrmacht or other Nazi era property for their use as ready made purpose built logistic facilities which could be quickly adapted to support their needs. The Hanomag factory was one of many.

I believe your father could have been serving with 4 Armoured Workshop REME which was based in Hannover for well over a decade. Certainly he must have been capbadged REME. The prancing chained horse on a globe (the symbol of Mechanical Engineering) was/is the centre piece of the current REME capbadge.

 

I read it, it was fascinating particularly to my mum who met my dad in Hanover. My Dad was at Hanomag in 1948

 

Slightly off the main topic but I believe Michael Maynard was serving in 823 Armoured Workshop REME not 30 Workshop Control Unit

My source is the unit war diary (WO171/7012 held in Kew) which shows, inter alia, that part of the unit was in the Lingen area on VE Day and moved to the Hanomag Factory in Hannover on the 8th June 45, Their stay was very brief they moved on the 29th June to the 88mm Gun Factory in nearby Laatzen.

 

Chris

From the 30 Corps District Kew documentation have the grid reference RX346197 as Hanomagstrasse 9, Hannover Linden-Süd, the location Bluebell Minor mentions, however from Hannover District Kew documentation for Sep/Oct 1948 this location is not listed, it does have every single REME unit in Hannover, so your Dad's unit must have been disbanded or moved prior to this, it will be some time before researching Hannover District deeper, I will be in touch if anything found

Best of luck with your research

 

Bluebell Minor, I was just guessing by the title of the article, then by reading part 4 it seems that it was later that M Maynard joined 30 WCU.

….and back to Hanover and some German Industry
After some delay I left for Germany with some others who had been on leave to end up in Ahlem, just outside Hanover with a small unit - 30 Workshop Control Unit with a Major in charge, accommodated in a large villa. We were billeted in surrounding houses.
BBC - WW2 People's War - My War Service Part 4

 

Thanks I think he was moved to Berlin after Hanomag

 

My father was stationed in Hanomag with B.A.O.R. 8 12 Heavy Workshops in Hannover, Germany from 1949-1951 so may have known of your father if he was there between these years, if you give me his name I can check with my father . I even have a couple of pictures in a group photo at the training camp in Blandford. Sounds like were stained at the same place in Hannover