Curator’s Choice: British Forces in 1960s Berlin

Clip from Film: IWM (DRA 3086). By Example (1968)

Assistant Curator Lyn Morgan highlights a newly digitised film in IWM's collection showcasing the role of the British Royal Military Police in protecting the city of Berlin during the Cold War, including the Berlin Wall.

The Role of the British Royal Military Police in Berlin

Imagine patrolling along the more remote border areas between East and West Berlin in 1968 – it’s dark, freezing, and the city could erupt into conflict at any moment or from any misunderstanding. This was the day to day for the British Royal Military Police (RMP) serving in Berlin during the Cold War. This film highlights their varied duties and how they kept Berlin safe during a time of global tension.

 During this period, the RMP had two main branches within the city – uniformed officers in 247 Provost Company were responsible for patrolling borders and checkpoints, as shown in the footage, while the Special Investigation Branch (SIB) was a separate detective unit. The SIB had hugely expanded in 1968 to allow the British Army of the Rhine to have their own dedicated unit.

Checkpoint Charlie

In this film, we get an insight into the RMP’s uniformed patrols of border areas, but also of their crucial work at Checkpoint Charlie.

Only seven years before, this had been the site of a standoff between East and West German tanks which nearly plummeted Berlin into a Cold War conflict turned ‘hot’. Stemming from miscommunication over a diplomat’s right to cross over the border, instances like the standoff of 1961 highlight how important effective checkpoint patrols were.

SOXMIS Spies

Outside of Berlin, the RMP had an equally important role working with the two Military Missions during the Cold War – BRIXMIS and SOXMIS. These military liaison missions were set up to “maintain Liaison between the Staff of the two Commanders-in-Chief and their Military Governments in the Zones” of Germany, but in truth they acted as methods of gathering military intelligence from either side. The RMP had a dedicated unit for following Soviet SOXMIS vehicles, known as ‘the white mice’ (19 Support Platoon RMP).

IWM’s YouTube Channel: How De-Escalation Ended the Cold War

The role of the RMP and the ‘white mice’ feature in The Collapse of the Soviet Union on IWM's YouTube channel which also examines how de-escalation played a part in the ending of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany. While the RMP no longer have a presence in Germany, and haven’t since 2015, units still operate in Brunei and Cyprus today.

Find out more

Explore and licence the film clips used in "The Collapse of the Soviet Union" YouTube video.

By Example (1968) was digitised through Digital Futures, IWM’s mass digitisation project with a focus on the Cold War era.

For further information regarding licensing IWM's collections, please contact the Image & Film Licensing team.