British army hands back last headquarters in Germany

The British army has relinquished control of its last remaining military headquarters in Germany following 75 years in the country, ahead of the final withdrawal of serving personnel.

Following the second world war, the UK was among a number of allied nations to retain a military presence in Germany but it halved the amount of soldiers after the fall of the iron curtain.

About 20,000 British service personnel have been steadily withdrawn since 2010 during “Operation Owl” under cost-cutting measures announced by former prime minister David Cameron.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the UK would continue to have a military presence in Germany beyond 2020 once the withdrawal of British army units to the UK has been completed.

However, around 185 British army personnel and 60 MoD civilians are set to remain.

An MoD spokesperson said: “The closure of Catterick Barracks Bielefeld marks the withdrawal of 20,000 British personnel from Germany. Since 2010 we’ve taken care to make this process as smooth as possible for our people and their families.

“As a founding member of Nato we will continue to work closely with our European partners and will maintain a presence in Germany.”

Catterick Barracks has been the last remaining headquarters for the British forces in Germany since 2013.

On Thursday, a flag-lowering ceremony marked the handover of the base in Bielefeld to the German authorities following the steady re-basing of thousands of troops under Operation Owl.

“Today, I think, not only for me but for the British forces as a whole, means the end of an era,” said Lt Col Tony Maw, the officer commanding the Germany Enabling Office, according to Forces Network.

“Today also marks the start of a new era, with our footprint now firmly set up in Sennelager with the Germany Enabling Office.”

In the UK, Salisbury Jobcentre Plus is assisting veterans and the spouses of serving personnel to access benefits, employment and support.

Hundreds of new homes have been built for returning families in the three garrison towns of Bulford, Tidworth and Larkhill in recent years, since most will be repatriated to Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.

But they have been warned the homes will be much smaller than those they have been residing in.