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Looking for Photo of BSA Small Arms & Gun Proof House

Louisa

Louisa

master brummie
Hello Everyone

Does anyone know where I can obtain a non copyright photo of the BSA small arms factory and the Gun Barrel Proof house in Baggot Street.

I have e-mailed Birmingham City Archives but have not had a rely yet.

Does anyone have any ideas or even a photo in their own collections.

Thanks
Louisa
 
Louisa I have a C.D. entitled Industrial Revelations. It was a series from the Discovery Channel presented by Brummy Mark Williams of The Fast Show fame. He visits Birmingham and the proof house the C.D. is brilliant. I will have a look and see if I have a photo. My husband worked as the last van driver for Greeners Sporting Guns in the 60's and visited the proof house often. He was also allowed to fire some of the guns including a Thompson Machine Gun!
 
Arthur, I think the problem Louisa has is, she needs one that isn't copyright.
 
Thanks Arthur and Wendy for your information.

I had forgotten about the Philllis Nicklin collection and this is a prime example of how much of our Birmingham history could be lost unless someone takes the time and interest to document it either by Photographs or writing about living memories, to preserve it for future generations.

I think the Phillis Nicklin collection is available for non commercial and personal studies but I can always ask permission to use one or two of them.

Wendy, the church pictures are great and it is ironic that your husband was a van driver for Greeners Sporting Guns and he actualy visited the Gun Proof House.

Thank you for all your help.
Louisa
 
I am glad you have them Christ Church is now demolished so I am gald I took that photo. Michael loved his time at Greeners even though it was short. He had to take a lot of the gun's, ammunition etc to Webley Scott when Greener's sold out to them.
 
3 photos of the Birmingham Gunbarrel Proofhouse, i don`t think they are copyrighted.
 
Hi Lencops
Thanks for the phots of the Proof House. Where did you get these from?

The reason I ask is because I need them for inclusion in an article that I am writing about Birmingham Gun Makers for the main website and I would not like there to be a problem about premission about copyright being overlooked.

I am coming to Birmingham in a couple of weeks so I can look in the Birmingham City Archives as they tell me that they do have some pictures of both the Proof house and the BSA factory.

Thanks for taking the time to find this information for me anyway.

Louisa
 
Louisa, David of Bummages fame is a friend of mine and has let me use his photo's, I always give him credit for them though. I think he is an excellent photographer, who attends most of the important local events and lives in Brum.
 
Louisa, I worked at BSA Guns factory, Blossomfield Rd, Shirley, it was demolished and the site now is a retail shopping park, the factory was a Shadow Factory built by the government in WW1 to get the company away from the heavy bombing of Armoury Rd, Small Heath.
 
Thanks Lencops for the help.

I have already contacted Dave Fisher on an old e-mail I found on one of the rootsweb sites so I hope it works. If not Wendy may have an up to date one.

His site has some very interesting Birmingham photographs, even ones of the Gravestones in the various ceneteries around the city, a very important project before they are all lost and a boon to anyone lliving any distance from Birmingham who is lucky enough to find one of their ancestor in the collection.

Thanks again
Louisa
 
If I remember right one of our members Dollyferret posted photos of the Proof House on this site, if you look under his posts you may find them. He took them sometime last year.
 
A friends father was Sargeant Joseph (Joe) Topham, a BSA Toolroom Foreman and a Sargeant in the BSA Platoon, Home Guard he was awarded the BEM for his actions in trying to save workers wounded in the bombing, 4 HG`s`s were given medals 1 GM, 3 BEM`s including Joe`s, A.F.Stevens GM, A.W.Goodwin BEM, A.R.E.Harris BEM, A.Slim BEM, Ada Deeming MBE, S.S.Ashburner Commended, E.Hoof Commended, Pte F.Knight HG, Commended, Pte G.Treen HG Commended, E. Withe Commended, building had wooden floors, on the top floors there was heavy machinery which crashed through the floors into the very deep cellar and that is where the dead and wounded were found and superhuman efforts were taken to get them, the building became unsafe and reluctantly it was filled with concrete because of possible threat to the health of other workers.
 
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In 1960 while working at BSA Guns, Shirley, i had to go to repair a machine at Armoury Rd,Small Heath, in what was called the Wood Shop where they were machining the butts for the FN Rifle i walked along past high speed woodworking copying machines producing the butt shape, the floor was wooden about 12ins thick but over the years the wood had worn away leaving 2-3in deep holes which i could easily have been tripped by and the thought of what could happen if i fell in to the machines made me ultra cautious and scared, health & safety would not allow it in 2008.
 
Hi Lencops,
Sorry but photos attributed to brummages in your earlier post are not mine.
However I have added some since receiving an enquiry from Louisa.
Dave (webmaster brummages)
 
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