Speaker:-Dr Bryan Roe speaking about 'The Berlin Wall'

Dr Bryan Roe – The Berlin Wall

Bryan talked about the history of the Berlin Wall his talk being peppered by personal recollections of visits to the wall and surrounding areas during his time working for Rolls Royce

After the Second World War Berlin was divided between east and west, the western side being subdivided into British, French and US sectors. Berlin was inside East Germany and only accessible by certain tightly controlled roads and air. Travelling these controlled roads too quickly or even too slowly could give rise to unwanted attention and fines from the East German authorities ( often ‘requested’ in foreign currency.)

The wall was to prevent the movement of people from East to West through Berlin the easiest crossing point. Before its construction 3.5 million had defected from east to west. The wall was constructed in 1961 and fortified in the 1980s before being abandoned in 1989. Several photos of the wall at various stages were shown.

100,000 tried to escape over the wall, 5000 succeeded and 200 died attempting it. A second stood several metres behind the first 302 watchtowers with armed guards – the area between the two heavily mined.

The wall was actually built 2 metres back from the official border – so occasionally those standing on viewing platforms on the Western side too close to the wall were shot at for being on East German Territory!

 Ashley Weaver