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Army Huts after WW2

jayne402010

jayne402010

Brummie babby
My father tells me he was born in an old army hut in Perry Barr in 1948 and as a young child can remember using the park as his garden to play in. Anybody confirm this? And/Or why people lived in these. Did they have to have fmily in the army or were they used as emergency housing for the homeless? He remembers there being a stove in the centre of the hut which they would gather around to keep warm! I cannot find any reference to this online but he is adamant that this is where he spent his early years!
 
They did this on Billesley Common, it appears that the people used the old army huts as they were homeless.
 
If you look at Perry Hall Playing Fields on Google Earth and scroll back to 1945 using the timeline feature, you will see what appears to be an army camp in the far west of the fields, next to the railway line. - Perhaps this is where you were born
 
I played in Perry Barr and Perry Hall park in the 40's and vaguely remember huts and temporary not very secure POW camps. Many people were homeless after the war simply moved into empty army huts and were known as 'Squatters' - first time I had ever heard the term.
 
There was also army huts on Lucas's sports ground at the junction of College Rd.and Kingstanding Rd.These were also taken over by "Squaters"as they were called.Just about every empty building in 1945 was quite rightly taken over and used by homeless people.It was too big an issue for the goverment to do any thing about and some of these huts were lived in for a number of years
 
Avena said:
If you look at Perry Hall Playing Fields on Google Earth and scroll back to 1945 using the timeline feature, you will see what appears to be an army camp in the far west of the fields, next to the railway line. - Perhaps this is where you were born
Click to expand...
Hello Avena
Nice to see you on the Forum
Nick 30 Dewsbury Grove
 
Thanks so much! I just did this and feel very nostalgic now! I am going to show my father as he will be made up! I am presuming they were allocated some type of council accommodation after, that will be my next mystery to solve!!!!
 
Many people were lucky enough to move into Prefabs (Prefabricated Houses) and I watched some of these being built after WW2. They are mentioned in threads on the forum with some members giving their experiences of living in them. From my memory they were very well fitted out for those times - I saw my first fridge visiting one of them.
With regard to the parks, Perry Hall had childrens paddle boats using the moat of the old Perry Hall. Perhaps your Dad remembers these boats, because most of the children in the area went on them.
There are threads about both of these parks on the forum with photos, but they take time to find, because some of the information is in other related threads.
Happy Searching...:)
 
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Seem to remember the paddle boats cost you 3d but rarely used them even as a local as there weren't too many spare 3d in my days, besides you always ended up with blisters.
 
A mate of mine Dave Hodge had an auntie & uncle living in one of those huts. We used to pop in to see her after we'd been on the paddling boats as it was on the way back to Coleraine Rd where we lived.
 
The member who started this topic only made 2 posts so has probably left. I've put the 1945 photo here in case they look again. It seems that the huts in the photo are the ones referred to. I used to walk across the park on Wednesday afternoons during 1949/1950 on the way home from the Handsworth Technical School Cherry Orchard playing fields.

Photo of Perry Hall Park in 1945 showing possible ex army huts in the left of the photo.
Perry_Hall_Park_1945.jpg
 
My mum met my dad about 1945/46 when he was in the army - I remember asking him why the army had sent him to Birmingham and he said that he had been sent to make beds for some "army barracks" (before joining the army he was a Carpenter/Joiner). Over the years I have always wondered where these army barracks were and I am now wondering if they were these ones at Perry Hall Park.
 
Re: Perry Barr Army Huts 1948 onwards....Iam new to this history forum but noticed th

jayne402010 said:
My father tells me he was born in an old army hut in Perry Barr in 1948 and as a young child can remember using the park as his garden to play in. Anybody confirm this? And/Or why people lived in these. Did they have to have fmily in the army or were they used as emergency housing for the homeless? He remembers there being a stove in the centre of the hut which they would gather around to keep warm! I cannot find any reference to this online but he is adamant that this is where he spent his early years!-
Click to expand...
I am new to this history forum but noticed this message and can confirm your father is quite right my mother and father were "squatters" in the camp there were my brothers and me I was born in 1947 (Mom had to be dug out) to go to hospital you lived in one main room with pot bellied stove and slept in large dormitory all up one end because of the cold broken windows and rats to boot we were in hut 23 don't know how I've remembered that - it was right by the lake with the canal at the back - I don't know why we had to live there Dad had worked on the spitfires down in Gloucester and Mom drove ambulances in the war she also chauffeured General de Gaulle to BSA in small heath sorry I am going on but it was so interesting seeing this message - I can also remember a family called Tiernan - we left the park in about 1951/52 .
 
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Re: Perry Barr Army Huts 1948 onwards....Iam new to this history forum but noticed th

janetT said:
I am new to this history forum but noticed this message and can confirm your father is quite right my mother and father were "squatters" in the camp there were my brothers and me I was born in 1947 (Mom had to be dug out) to go to hospital you lived in one main room with pot bellied stove and slept in large dormitory all up one end because of the cold broken windows and rats to boot we were in hut 23 don't know how I've remembered that - it was right by the lake with the canal at the back - I don't know why we had to live there Dad had worked on the spitfires down in Gloucester and Mom drove ambulances in the war she also chauffered General de Gaulle to BSA in small heath sorry I am going on but it was so interesting seeing this message - I can also remember a family called Tiernan - we left the park in about 1951/52
Click to expand...
Welcome Janet to the forum and thanks for your memories about the huts in Perry Hall Park. I always like reading about those times of my childhood playing in the park. I am a little puzzled about your mention of the huts being right by the lake and a nearby canal and wonder whether you were in the nearby Perry Park. I've attached a 1945 aerial view of that park and there appear to be huts near to the lake and you can see the canal. There are many memories on the forum in other threads of the area around the parks.
oldmohawk
Perry Park 1945 (Medium).jpg
 
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One of my relatives used to be the midwife that looked after the expectant mothers in Perry Hall playing fields, both during the war and upto 1952. We lived in Dewsbury Grove which was only a few hundred yards from the entrance to Perry Hall. My Sister tells me of the times that she used to visit with Nurse Iveson during the war, a few years before I was born.
 
Hello Janet I would like to add my welcome to that from OM. With regards to your - "sorry I am going on but it was so interesting seeing this message" never feel the need to apologise for adding to our collective knowledge of Birmingham.
 
Pembroke said:
There was also army huts on Lucas's sports ground at the junction of College Rd.and Kingstanding Rd.These were also taken over by "Squaters"as they were called.Just about every empty building in 1945 was quite rightly taken over and used by homeless people.It was too big an issue for the goverment to do any thing about and some of these huts were lived in for a number of years
Click to expand...

I have family connections with someone billeted at barracks that were said to be in Moor Lane in the war, would they have been these at the Lucas Ground? and was it something to do with the home guard? and are there any pics out there?:emmersed:.
Found this shot of Spring Rd..
https://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5547.0
 
janetT said:
Re: Perry Barr Army Huts 1948 onwards....Iam new to this history forum but noticed th

I am new to this history forum but noticed this message and can confirm your father is quite right my mother and father were "squatters" in the camp there were my brothers and me I was born in 1947 (Mom had to be dug out) to go to hospital you lived in one main room with pot bellied stove and slept in large dormitory all up one end because of the cold broken windows and rats to boot we were in hut 23 don't know how I've remembered that - it was right by the lake with the canal at the back - I don't know why we had to live there Dad had worked on the spitfires down in Gloucester and Mom drove ambulances in the war she also chauffeured General de Gaulle to BSA in small heath sorry I am going on but it was so interesting seeing this message - I can also remember a family called Tiernan - we left the park in about 1951/52 .
Click to expand...
Hello Janet - I have just joined - I also lived in Perry Barr Park. I was adopted by Cyril and Peg Mason and moved there in July 1952 when I was nearly one. The address given on my certificate is 25 Perry Barr Park. I don't remember living there as I was too young. We moved to Sheldon Heath when I was around 4 or 5. Regards. David M
 
My brother and myself spent our first six years in the army huts in Perry hall.my parents where squatters.they worked on the buses.it was the only way to get on the housing list. What a wonderful playground it was for two youngsters. I have been back many times,how the park has changed.surprisingly it seems hardly ever used.
 
There were two army camp's.one either side of the Walsall road?. There was Perry hall camp, the other was Perry Barr camp.Perry Hall backed on to the railway track.Perry Barr backed on to the canal. We moved out in 1951 from Perry Hall. We moved into a beautiful new council house in Booth's lane.
 
Ray Griffiths said:
Perry Barr Park was an anti-aircraft base which had turn-style like rotating guns and was also the base for large searchlights .
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As a very young child I used sit in the air raid shelter listening to those AA guns firing and the sounds of bits of shrapnel from their shells dropping all around and next morning all the kids in the road used to rush out to see who could find the largest pieces which were very jagged and sharp.
 
Anyone know who to cotact about the Home Guard in Perry Barr? I am trying to put together a surprise package of info and photos for husbands 70th birthday as his Dad was a Home Guard when he worked at Tucker Eyelets on the Walsall Road. If there are any books etc that would be great.
 
oldMohawk said:
Re: Perry Barr Army Huts 1948 onwards....Iam new to this history forum but noticed th


Welcome Janet to the forum and thanks for your memories about the huts in Perry Hall Park. I always like reading about those times of my childhood playing in the park. I am a little puzzled about your mention of the huts being right by the lake and a nearby canal and wonder whether you were in the nearby Perry Park. I've attached a 1945 aerial view of that park and there appear to be huts near to the lake and you can see the canal. There are many memories on the forum in other threads of the area around the parks.
oldmohawk
View attachment 89530
Click to expand...
THE ARMY HUTS IN PERRY BARR PARK. CLOSE TO THE ROWING BOAT LAKE AND THE CANAL. NOT PERRY HALL PARLK
 
chris wood said:
THE ARMY HUTS IN PERRY BARR PARK. CLOSE TO THE ROWING BOAT LAKE AND THE CANAL. NOT PERRY HALL PARLK
Click to expand...
It should be obvious from various posts I have made that I am well aware of where the army huts were in Perry Barr Park and also some huts in Perry Hall Park. See the posts below with the photos that I posted.
A photo showing me in a rowing boat on the Perry Barr Park lake and I would have been seeing the huts behind my mother when she took the photo. Underneath the photo is a link to my post.
Rowing_Boat__Perry_Barr_Park_1940s.jpg
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/perry-barr.3525/post-172898

An aerial photo showing the huts in Perry Hall Park. The rectangle shape near top centre is the paddle boat moat. Underneath the photo is a click link to my post.
Perry_Hall_Park_1945.jpg
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...barr-army-huts-1948-onwards.37452/post-430796

An aerial view of the huts in Perry Barr Park. Houses on the Beeches Estate can be seen in the photo. Underneath the photo is a link to my post.
ww2PerryPark.jpg
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/perry-park.26170/post-712452

:)
 
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Does anyone remember the group of Daimler Dingo scout cars parked together near Perry Barr Park? I think there were 3 or 4, which by the time I played in and around them were still intact but clearly inoperable. That would probably have been mid1950s. I lived in Tideswell Road and used to get to the Park by going up the road to the top road (can’t remember its name) then turn left down towards Curbar Road and then right into a right of way running down to the canal, and continuing to Walsall Road. The scout cars were nearer what became the cold storage depot.
 
jayne402010 said:
My father tells me he was born in an old army hut in Perry Barr in 1948 and as a young child can remember using the park as his garden to play in. Anybody confirm this? And/Or why people lived in these. Did they have to have fmily in the army or were they used as emergency housing for the homeless? He remembers there being a stove in the centre of the hut which they would gather around to keep warm! I cannot find any reference to this online but he is adamant that this is where he spent his early years!
Click to expand...
Yes I remember the army huts in Perry Barr park . I played there as a very young lad.I am now 74yrs old.I lived in Rowdale road.Thanks for the memories
 
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