• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Incendiary bombs across Birmingham

Phil

Phil

Gone, but not forgotten.
I thought I would try something different this time by way of a change. Instead of Where is this? Its what are they doing?

So What do you think these men are doing?

Phil
 

Attachments

  • xx.jpg
    xx.jpg
    84.9 KB · Views: 14
looks like its indoors because of the shadows and it does look like some sort of lighting....

lyn
 
Well done Eric

Incendiary Bomb Snuffers they are, not a job I would have fancied unless the pole was a lot longer.

Phil
 
That's interesting Phil, I have only ever seen pics of them being sprayed with water from a stirrup pump or having sand shovelled over them.
Mike.
 
This is all very reminiscent of "What's My Line" many years ago.

I always wondered why David Nixon always got the right answers (maybe someone on here was passing him messages on an earpiece. Or was it your ESP vibrations Lyn?)

Richie.
 
motorman-mike said:
That's interesting Phil, I have only ever seen pics of them being sprayed with water from a stirrup pump or having sand shovelled over them.
Mike.
Click to expand...
Re: ... spraying incendary bombs with water ... NO WAY. That was the worst thing one could do ! Incendary bombs were made of phosphorus which - if sprayed with water - would burn with greater intensity and quickly explode.
 
Vintage Brumie said:
Re: ... spraying incendary bombs with water ... NO WAY. That was the worst thing one could do ! Incendary bombs were made of phosphorus which - if sprayed with water - would burn with greater intensity and quickly explode.
Click to expand...

Vintage Brumie.
Ive answered your instant message,but it states that you do not or can not receive instant messages!!!!! this is the only way I can contact you
Peter
 
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YV36kYEfFk"]YouTube - Abbott & Costello show how NOT to put out an Incendiary Bomb[/ame]
 
Here's another bomb snuffer. Can't say I'd want to use one, but suppose needs must in WW2. Does anyone remember having one of these left over from wartime?

Source: British Newspaper Archive Screenshot_20240129_083643_Chrome.jpg
 
(Birmingham Gazette January 1941.)
FIRE BOMB TECHNIQUE…Thousands of people will soon be dealing with fire bombs for the first time. The upper picture shows how to enter a burning room. Keep near the floor: The air is fresher. Remember, too, that when the door is opened flames and smoke may fly out into the face. stirrup If you have no stirrup pump and need to approach the bomb, hold a half-filled sandbag to upper part of the face and body.

IMG_7473.jpegIMG_7474.jpeg
 
We had an incendiary bomb fall on our shop in Slade Road in Erdington. It went through the roof, burnt through the ceiling in my Dad's bedroom, through his bed and then through the floor to the room below, which had a stone floor. Fortunately for me and for my Dad (who was still at school then) he was sheltering in the cellar with my Nan. My grandad (who was an ARP) was called to put the fire out, at his own shop! The marks in the two ceilings, where they had been plastered over, were still visible when we left the shop some 45 years later.
 
Vintage Brumie said:
Re: ... spraying incendary bombs with water ... NO WAY. That was the worst thing one could do ! Incendary bombs were made of phosphorus which - if sprayed with water - would burn with greater intensity and quickly explode.
Click to expand...
British and American incendiaries were made of phosphorous. - You can use water to quench phosphorous, but you have to be very careful it does not spread the phosphorous particles since they will reignite when the water drys out. The Germans used Thermite in their smaller incendiaries, which would explode with a steam explosion if water was poured on it. The Germans had two types of small incendiary they used against Britain, the 1 Kg bomb was a pure incendiary, while the 2Kg had an explosive charge to spread the fire. Both could be fitted with a heavy "tile breaker" head to penetrate into the roof of houses. The Germans also had the fearsome Flam 500 - called the "Oil Bomb" by the British- essentially a crude form of Napalm. This was much larger and devastating if it worked. Thankfully it was a very unreliable in use and a lot of them did not ignite.

Edit - turns out the British didn't use phosphorous incendiaries, we used Thermite like the Germans. However, the British did use Phosphorus for target-marking flares and to create smoke screens.
 
Last edited:
I would be glad if someone can remind me how to contact a particular person, as I would like more info. from John L about he shop he mentions in #20 , so that any conversation we have does not become distraction from the thread. Thanks.
 
John L needs to change his settings to "allow conversation". Then you can contact him by clicking on his name (next to his avatar) and "start conversation".
Or you can use the envelope top right of the page and enter his name.
Neither will work until he has changed his settings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top