• 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

Gun Sites

Re: GUN SITE

Hi Geff, I have replied via another thread of yours, don't know if you will pick it up, but I have just found your thread regarding the Yardley gunsite, My dad was served in the Homeguard on the Yardley/Stechford gunsite, it was fields but the Poolway/Kents Moat shopping area was built on it in later years,

Hope that helps,
Best regards
 
Hi all,
I lived by the yewtree and my recollection was "The Oaklands Hobmoor RD". Moat Lane on the right hand side going down from yewtree Lane was a Barrage baloon in the top end towards Manorhouse lane but the big one was Garrets green lane. They had Rocket firing 16 tubes salvo launchers,I saw them, this was a barracks which stretched from the island where the Tech was at Sheldonheath and Cockshut Hill all the way up to the Meadway. Then Garrets green was only a very narrow lane in those days.
During a raid one night the baloon got struck and floated across Moat lane over Ingrams haulage yard and landed over my fathers garden and our shelter, we knew nothing about it until the next morning, Dad's garden was big but the baloon was much bigger, The R.A.F. had to come and collect it
 
You are quite right about the field at the yew tree, that was called Prescotts field and I used to cross it every day going to school at church road, I know for a fact there were never any gun mountings on it.
We must have possibly known oneanother in those days because I also played on that field as a nipper.
I see you use wimbush as a nick name, your not Ken sambrooks who lived above Wimbush at the yew tree are you?
 
Hi Wimbush,
You are bringing back the names of the people that I grew up with and the shops that I stood in queues to buy food in during the War. You have mentioned all the people that I went to school with.The only one that I thought was wrong was Jonny Sweetman unless he had an older Brother, He drove the number 15b bus route to Cockshut Hill. Jonny Shaw was an apprentice with me at B.S.A. Tool until he went to the Jag at Coventry.
Dave Edwards
 
During the summer of 2013 a contracting firm had the project to lay out tarmac footpaths through Oaklands park. While they spent months working there, I took the opportunity to use my metal detector to go over the heaps of soil they dug out and also down in the foot deep channels they dug to fill with hardcore prior to tarmacing. I found quite a few old pennies and halfpennies and also two nice 1932 silver sixpences. A couple of £1 coins too ! Other bits of metal were in the ground too including bits of shrapnel from the anti air craft guns. I never dug on any of the turf so there must be more shrapnel still scattered around out of sight. One day, someone there told me that there was a large air raid shelter at the Coventry Road end of the park on the corner of Holder Road. They claimed it was linked by a tunnel to the ex-Police station on Coventry Road that is now the pub called The Old Bill and Bull. Does anyone know if this is correct ? The Birmingham A to Z still shows a rectangular area of the park marked up in that corner.
 
I lived in Howard Road growing up which backed onto Oaklands Recreation ground. I was told that the air raid shelter at the bottom of a neighbours garden at Number 28 had been part of an Ack-Ack emplacement.
 
Back
Top