AN Anglo-German partnership, founded in the aftermath of the Second World War, was strengthened yesterday when three new people carriers were presented to the British Army.
There was not much left of the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, north Germany, when war in Europe ended. The flattened factory symbolised the determination of the German people to rebuild their lives.
Major Ivan Hirst, of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, pioneered a project which saw the factory rebuilt to help rejuvenate the economy.
He helped select the management team, organised the rebuilding programme and clinched the first orders for the new Volkswagen Beetle, which was to become as much of a 1960s icon as the Mini.
The friendship between the regiment and the factory was reaffirmed last year when Volkswagen UK's public relations chief, Paul Buckett, visited REME units in Britain.
As a result, three VW Caravelles were handed over at the regiment's barracks at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, almost 60 years since the friendship was forged.
The vehicles will be used by the regiment's three recruiting teams to help them reach more young people who may be considering the Army as a career.
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