Royal Engineers at Leisure 1945
I'm sure their time in Northern Europe in 1945 was difficult, but my father's photographs also record days, presumably after May 1945, when they were able to relax and have some fun.
Sailing on Steinhuder Meer, Germany
The annotation of the photographs refers to H Class racing yachts of 30 Corps on Steinhuder Meer, Germany, although I'm sure they were owned either by private individuals or by the sailing club - requisitioned to provide rest and relaxation! It took me a while to identify the yachts/dinghies until I realised that they were more accurately described as "H Jolle", a class still raced today. They have their own website h-jolle.net.
From the website and with some help from Google Translate:
"The H-dinghy is the oldest construction class still sailed supraregional in the German dinghy boat building. She can now be well over 80 years old. Looking back on history and was the pre-war until the 1950s most popular class of dinghies. The H-dinghy is represented in all federal states. The unification of the class communities of the old and new federal states took place in 1990. A greater spread the class in Switzerland and Austria is followed closely. Construction class: This means that within certain limits - 15 square meters of measured sail area, 6.20 m longest, 2.15 m longest width, 190 kg measuring weight - the H-dinghy can be constructed freely. The balanced design has made it possible that the boat could follow modern developments, but was also a pioneer in some development steps and that the class despite the large range of one-size-fits-all is alive and well".
More photographs:
H Class Yachts on Steinhuder Meer
H Class Yachts on Steinhuder Meer
Sailing at Langtoft
My father later joined the local sailing club at Langtoft near Bourne and sailed an Enterprise dinghy.
Harzburger Hof Hotel
There was later a stay in the Harz Mountains at the Harzburger Hof Hotel
Abandoned since 2010 and burnt down in 2013 and 2014, this big hotel is waiting for its final destruction. Situated in the city of Harzburg, the hotel “Harzburger Hof” was inaugurated in 1874. It was one of the most prestigious hotels in Germany before being requisitioned by British soldiers during WWII. The place has never regained its clientele. The hotel did not manage to upgrade, resulting in large financial losses during the 1990s. There's more information on this website.
Harzburger Hof Hotel
Harzburger Hof Hotel Swimming Pool
Harzburger Hof Hotel Cable Car