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Rocky Lane Perry Barr

It's possible that there was heavy bombing in both sites mentioned, they tried to bomb all of the industrial areas and the main roads leading in and out of the city.
Bombing was not very accurate and quite a few areas were hit by strays.

I recall walking up Kingstanding Road after one raid and many of the front gardens had large bomb craters where they'd missed the road and fortunately the houses had escaped too.
 
There was certainly bombing in the Great Barr area but bombing maps are hard to get and an accurate one might not exist. I did put one on the forum in 2016 and it does show some bomb events in the Hamstead area. The BARRA website might list serious incidents.
oldMohawk said:
I also wonder how accurate WW2 'bombing maps' are. I lived in Grindleford Rd on Perry Beeches and as a very young child I was in the house (blue circle 1) when it was hit by an incendiary ... we had the fin off it for years but it got lost in a house move. It is not marked on the map.
In (blue circle 2) a high explosive hit and badly damaged 4 houses, the blast from it shook our house. I have chatted (on the forum) with someone who lived in Bradfield Rd. It is on the map.

In (blue circle 3) high explosives dropped in Perry Barr park, I remember looking in the craters.

Also a large unexploded bomb made a hole at the junction of Grindleford Rd and Thornbridge Ave but is not shown on the map.

Map (sorry I cannot get resolution higher)
index.php
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A Sparks said:
Yes, my Nan's house was on the Walsall Road quite near Rocky Lane and neither she or my mother ever said there was heavy bombing in the area.
There were anti aircraft guns just across the road in Perry Barr Park so I would very much doubt it.
Click to expand...
There were antiaircraft gun sites at Perry Hall as well as Perry Barr parks. My Mother told me about the damage to our house roof in Dewsbury grove which was caused by the guns, presumably due to the falling shrapnel.
 
Hamstead Colliery might have been a reason for enemy bombing (if there was) of the area in WW2. Viv.
 
One of the reasons might have been because the Luftwaffe Cherbourg X-Gerate beam was aimed at Birmingham and crossed the city south to north as shown below. The predicted path ran to the east of the Walsall Road and the bombers followed it as best as they could. I suppose we are getting a bit off topic .... :rolleyes: :cool:
beam.JPG
 
this talk of bombing raids brings to mind a lady who was living in rodwell grove opposite the old cottage in kingstanding during ww2 many years ago she told me that one day the german planes flew overhead on fire attack and she and others had to run for cover..rodwell grove is not a million miles away from rocky lane so the enemy were about around there


www.google.com

Rodwell Grove · Birmingham B44 0DW

Birmingham B44 0DW
www.google.com www.google.com
 
In the first photo (of post #37) I think there’ssomething going on in the field. That must be why it’s attracting attention. Possibly football ? Think I can see some men in white shirts. Viv.
 
did rocky lane join hamsted? and was there a hardware shop on rocky lane?
 
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mw0njm. said:
Thanks.for reply. it as been years1960s last time i went in the shop.it belong to the family who had a shop in phillip st aston.if i remember right.
Click to expand...

Just had a look on Google street view, it's not there now, possibly they retired and no one in the family who wanted to take it on.
 
The only shops i can remember on Rocky Lane were at the top by the roundabout and at the bottom on the Walsall road opposite the Crematorium. There was a Paynes shoe repairers a newsagents and a cycle shop plus some others which I can‘t remember at the bottom but never used the top shops.
 
My dad lived in ivybridge Grove perry barr from 1937 up until 1958. Donald green. Mom was may dad fred fred sisters irene and rita
 
Because of the path for the Luftwaffe in the early days of WW2, the heights of Hill Top Farm was the perfect place to install 2 anti aircraft guns. That site was later used as a POW camp for German prisoners and can remember it being occupied. As a small boy, I was given a jam jar full of water by a kind German prisoner as I sat on his knee one very hot afternoon.

That site was, and still is MOD land and Joe Ryman, the farmer, was banned from cultivating it. This is why it is still derelict, but the gun emplacements and foundation of the POW camp still exists under the weed growth.
 
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