Berlin wall 20 years on

[Thermo]

I remeber growing up as a child of the cold war. The berlin wall and the iron curtain was seldom out of the news in one form or another. I can always remember the spectre of nuclear war was always in the back of your mind and what would you do if the 4 minute warning went off was always a topic bandied about.

seemed really strange listening to the radio today on the way back from a job when they were talking about the fall of the wall. I had to explain it to the 2 19 year old lads that were with me. They werent even alive then. (made me feel old) What a strange world that was.

 

[johnblack99]

Hi Thermo.

I was laid under a filthy series one landrover changing the engine when the news broke that it was coming down. That was before the days of 24 hour news about nothing mindst. It warranted an extra tea break to watch it for ten minutes!

I went to the Roger Waters Wall concert fiasco in Berlin shortly afterwards and the wall was still coming down. All the attractive graffittied bits had been snapped up but I got to belt a bit of it with a sledgehammer and filled a small rucksack with chunks. Theres some in a rockery in Cleckheaton of all places.

A couple of mates were living in Berlin at the time. For the first few weeks you could see a constant smog of two stroke fumes from the mighty trabants that were breaking down all over the city. They banned them in the end.

I don't think the world was any stranger then compared to now. It was just strange in a different way.

John

 

[WDIK]

I don't think the world was any stranger then compared to now. It was just strange in a different way.

FEAR

will allways be there

 

[toptec]

I was lucky enough to have a 2 year posting to Berlin in 1976. My daughter was born there. Could see the wall from our 21st floor flat.

We had to patrol the allied side of the border and escort the Russians to their 2 week turn at guarding Rudolph Hess in Spandau. I spent many a long night in one of the watchtowers with a circa 1940 hand cranked searchlight,

Went into the East a few times and I remember describing the whole experience in the East as ... Grey. Houses cars and people, all grey.

We were paid half in German Marks and half in BAFVS, (British Armed Forces Vouchers) which were only redeemable in the Naafi shop. This was to prevent us blowing our pay on East German women!

We had a Brill time there. Wonderfull.

 

[masona]

(made me feel old) What a strange world that was.

You made me feel old now! I remember it well can't believe it was 20 yrs ago

 

[tim west]

was there a wall? i'm too young to remember

 

[roughcaster]

was there a wall? i'm too young to remember

Of course there was Tim,, Humpty Dumpty sat on it and fell off,,, remember.

Roughcaster.

 

[tim west]

and the NHS didnt have enough funds to put him back again

 

[Nige F]

I was lucky enough to have a 2 year posting to Berlin in 1976. My
We had to patrol the allied side of the border and escort the Russians to their 2 week turn at guarding Rudolph Hess in Spandau. I spent many a long night in one of the watchtowers with a circa 1940 hand cranked searchlight,

We had a Brill time there. Wonderfull.

You know what, my old Dad was doing the same thing ( guarding Rudi ) just after he was incacerated .With the Army of occupation. ( Dad was only just too young to be involved in the War.) Might have cranked the same searchlight Cut down a lot of trees, that`s for sure.

 

[dave1953]

My dad was stationed in Berlin at that time and I remember [I was 13] there was a shop on the west Berlin side right at checkpoint Charlie where that if you were going on a Military Police escorted trip to the the Eastern Sector , shopping, they would exchange 4 East German Marks for 1 West German Mark which looking back on it gave the chance to make some real killings on pottery etc etc.I also remember some poor guy who tried to jump the twin walls from a top story of a property opposite Checkpoint Charlie, missed and landed between the twin walls, the Russians who were on guard duty at that time would not let medics in to treat him, people threw medical kits and allsorts in to the no mans land to help him but he bled to death,just as well it's down now.