Page 46 - RADC 2016

Closure of Dental Centres Fallingbostel and Höhne
by Maj Riaz Usmani
Summer 2015 saw the nal draw-down phase of Bergen-Höhne Garrison and
the end of an era for the involvement of the British Army in this part of Germany. Located on the Lüneburgerheide, the area was originally used for training by the Wehrmacht from 1936. It was occupied by the British Army following the surrender
of Nazi Germany in 1945. The number of NATO troops stationed in the area increased during the Cold War years to 50,000.
The withdrawal of British Troops from
Bergen-Höhne was part of the broader plan to relocate all BFG personnel to the UK by 2019. With the camp at Celle having already closed in 2012, this left only Fallingbostel and Höhne.
As “service providers” the dental centres were responsible for maintaining a dental service until the major eld units had left by the end of Aug 15 whilst managing their own drawdown.
As SDO Fallingbostel (slightly surreal as the last time I was at Fally was as a VT with Lt Col Case as my trainer) this
initially seemed a daunting task to manage. Fortunately, it was a well-worn path with other dental centres having recently closed and so there was plenty of advice on hand. Most importantly, I was lucky to be working alongside an excellent team and so was con dent that we’d be able to manage any problems. On the admin side, we had Cpl Fletcher our practice manager and Isabella Boateng – receptionist. From the clinical side, we had Iram Usmani – civilian dentist (and long suffering wife!), Alicia Gowans – hygienist and our dental nurses – Andrea
Dental and Medical Centre Fallingbostel
NAAFI Fallingbostel
44 RADC BULLETIN 2016
MILITARY MATTERS