Further to my comment below, the Mayor of Leeds in the clip is David Beevers who served as Mayor from 1945 -6, putting the visit in the summer of 1946. David Beevers was a strong supporter of the newly created NHS in 1948 and was the first Chairman of the Leeds Hospitals Management Committee; his service is commemorated in the David Beevers Day Unit at St James' Hospital in the city.
Ignore my previous comments, which are wrong - thanks to John Briggs who replied to my first comment, I've now worked out when and where this film was actually made. The film definitely dates from 1954 when the 1KOYLI were in Wavell Barracks, Berlin (I note that the clip now has a date of 20 May 1954 attached which wasn't there previously, but which is clearly correct). The barracks were built in 1935-6, and look very similar to the Gneisenau Barracks in Minden built at the same time - hence my earlier confusion. The Battalion was in Berlin from July '53 to September '54, when they were sent to Kenya as part of the force addressing the Mau-mau emergency. The visiting Mayor of Leeds is Donald Cowling, and there's a photo of him with the Queen Mother which is easy to find on the web. Thanks again to John Briggs for setting the record straight.
This must have been filmed between July 1946 and December 1947 as the location is the Gneisenau Barracks in Minden (later renamed Elizabeth Barracks); 1st KOYLI were based there between those dates. Prior to July '46 the Battalion were involved in dispersed security duties around Hamburg, and in December '47 the Battalion was returned to England prior to disbandment. Being based in Minden had strong sentimental associations for the KOYLI as the regiment had fought with the Anglo-German army in 1759 at the battle of Minden against the French. The opening sequence of the sign reading "HQ Berlin British Sector" is odd and misleading - 1st KOYLI were never in Berlin, and the location is definitely Minden. (SOURCE: History of the KOYLI 1939-48 by G F Ellenberger; my father served in 1st KOYLI from 1943-7).
I did my National Service basic training at Strensall in 1954 which was both the Regimental Depot of KOYLI and also the Light Infantry Depot. 1 KOYLI was in Berlin at that time. The Berlin div sign (a red circle with the word Berlin below on a black background) is clearly visible. Anyone coming back to Strensall from 1KOYLI had this sign on their sleeve.
Further to my comment below, the Mayor of Leeds in the clip is David Beevers who served as Mayor from 1945 -6, putting the visit in the summer of 1946. David Beevers was a strong supporter of the newly created NHS in 1948 and was the first Chairman of the Leeds Hospitals Management Committee; his service is commemorated in the David Beevers Day Unit at St James' Hospital in the city.
Ignore my previous comments, which are wrong - thanks to John Briggs who replied to my first comment, I've now worked out when and where this film was actually made. The film definitely dates from 1954 when the 1KOYLI were in Wavell Barracks, Berlin (I note that the clip now has a date of 20 May 1954 attached which wasn't there previously, but which is clearly correct). The barracks were built in 1935-6, and look very similar to the Gneisenau Barracks in Minden built at the same time - hence my earlier confusion. The Battalion was in Berlin from July '53 to September '54, when they were sent to Kenya as part of the force addressing the Mau-mau emergency. The visiting Mayor of Leeds is Donald Cowling, and there's a photo of him with the Queen Mother which is easy to find on the web. Thanks again to John Briggs for setting the record straight.
When was this filmed ?
My Grandfathers regiment, and 2 of his brothers.
This must have been filmed between July 1946 and December 1947 as the location is the Gneisenau Barracks in Minden (later renamed Elizabeth Barracks); 1st KOYLI were based there between those dates. Prior to July '46 the Battalion were involved in dispersed security duties around Hamburg, and in December '47 the Battalion was returned to England prior to disbandment. Being based in Minden had strong sentimental associations for the KOYLI as the regiment had fought with the Anglo-German army in 1759 at the battle of Minden against the French. The opening sequence of the sign reading "HQ Berlin British Sector" is odd and misleading - 1st KOYLI were never in Berlin, and the location is definitely Minden. (SOURCE: History of the KOYLI 1939-48 by G F Ellenberger; my father served in 1st KOYLI from 1943-7).
I did my National Service basic training at Strensall in 1954 which was both the Regimental Depot of KOYLI and also the Light Infantry Depot. 1 KOYLI was in Berlin at that time. The Berlin div sign (a red circle with the word Berlin below on a black background) is clearly visible. Anyone coming back to Strensall from 1KOYLI had this sign on their sleeve.
CSM Cocliffe 1st closeup