The following pictures were sent to me by John R (ex REME) for you all to view. They are of Smuts Barracks and downtown Berlin as it is now (2005) Any comments you have on the should be placed in the forum.
The main gate and entrance to Smuts Barracks
The Hilton Hotel as it looks today
The foyer area outside the cookhouse in the Hilton with the door into the NAAFI shop. Its a double door now, where the German cigarette machine is where the two pie machines used to be.
The ground floor foyer at the lift with the stairwell to the basement. No change here either except the time when John was sick there - they have cleaned that up. John remembers finding Floyd Merry there a few times as well as wee Ozzy (Paul Osbourne) the REME fitter and Patch Edwards the drunken REME full screw.
Stairwell on the 4th floor at the lift, the lift still has some army graffiti on the doors (not 14/20H) and the wall opposite the lift still has the stuck on sign saying "4th Floor" on it which put there by us.
View down the corridor in the Hilton on floor 4 (which you pressed button 5 for in the lift) Looks ok till you see the rooms and the rest of the floors
John standing in his old room on the 5th floor (press 6th in the lift). As you can see the fitting etc are all the same inc the bedside strip light, windows etc etc. The 3rd floor still has the minging green and yellow curtains on some rooms.
