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WWII Barrage Balloon Sites

HI PHIL,
MY MOM WAS WAS IN THE WAAF ON THE BALLONS SHE IS NO LONGER WITH US BUT I AM SURE I HAVE SOME PHOTOGRAPHS AT HOME UP I THE ATTIC . IF I CAN FIND THEM I WILL SCAN THEM IN WORK BUT I WILL NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME HOW TO DOWNLOAD THEM FOR YOU TO SEE. THE PICTURE IF I CAN FIND IT SHOWS A UNIT OF WAAF'S. MY MOM WAS A CORPORAL AND SHE USED TO TELL ME A STORY OF HOW SHE LOST A BALLON OR SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN A SARGEANT. HER NAME WAS GERTRUDE ( TRUDY ) WHITEHOUSE AND SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN AROUND 22/23 YRS OF AGE AT THE TIME OF THE WAR.
JOHN
 
Phil, I came across the name but was un-able to find out any more detail other than it was located in Lea End Lane.
All I can find out today with a quick Google search is references to the recent building work.I'll add it to my list and see if I can find out anything more


Colin
 
johnedward. Thanks for that. Was your mother based in Birmingham during the war? The reason I ask is that my research is specific to the Birmingham Squadrons. I don't have my notes to hand at the moment, but the WAAFs started to take over the sites sometime in 1942. There is the possibility she trained at Sutton Coldfield or Wythall. Do you know you can apply to the RAF for her record of service if you don't already have it?
Being on balloons for the WAAFs was physically very demanding, and the living conditions were very basic. At 23 years of age, your Mum might have been one of the oldest on her balloon site! As a Corporal she would have been in charge of the site.
I have just as much admiration for those young ladies as I have for the men of Birmingham who answered the call to form the Squadrons in the first place.
 
Colin B.  Thanks for checking.  Having a photograph is a nicety.  I've got my wartime details of the House for the project and my main priority now is locating the balloon sites in Birmingham.
     I may have some more details about the House becoming a Borstal Institution if that is of interest.
   Let me know & I'll e-mail them separately.
 
Youve probably seen these or have copies I found them on the net when looking for Civil Defence Links
 
Womens Auxiliary Air Force learning about the Barrage Balloon
 
Phil, just a snippet from an article in this month's "Brummagem" magazine- "Another night we came out of the house to find the sky ablaze with flames; we were frightened to death. It seems one of the barrage balloons in Handsworth Park had come adrift and burst into flames".
 
PHILL, THE BALLOON IN BELCHERS LANE WOULD HAVE COME DOWN IN THE SUMMER OF 42 WHEN I WAS SWEET 16, YES THERE WERE HUTS ON THE SITE AND THE GIRLS LIVED THERE. I ALSO RECALL A SITE IN WARD END PARK. GEFF
 
I'm in touch with the grandson of one of the founder members of 911 Squadron. Jack Robertson lived at 30 Stoneyhurst Road Erdington, and was believed to be involved with a firm of signmakers based in Kingstanding. Jack had served in the Royal Engineers during WWI and was 46 when he signed up in mid 1939.
His grandson has sent me a photo of Jack standing in a bomb crater, which I believe was at a 911 balloon site.
 
Now ain't that a great photo,well done Phil
Phil I don't know if you know this but the WAFC section of the barrage balloon operations were the hardest job in the ATS
The balloons were so heavy that where it took ten men to do the job, 16 women were needed to to the same job
 
GEFF & sylviasayers Thanks for the posts about the sites.

cromwell I could be wrong, but I think the ATS was separate from the Womens Auxilliary Air Force (WAAFs). You are right about job being physically demanding; you can tell from the picture you posted of the WAAFs hauling on the ropes. One former WAAF wrote to me about the training at Wythall, explaining that their hands got terribly cut as they had to learn how to splice the wire ropes.

Rod Not quite sure of the company who made the winch. The winch lorry was a Fordson. I have some notes but it will take some time to check up on. I'll PM you with any details I find on the winches. Right now I am trying to concerntrate on finding the many sites.

Anyone out there know of sites in Summerfield Park, Salford Park, Langley Park and a site at the back of Erdington Abbey? Would be grateful for any information.

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far.
 
Phil, I could not resist this, Title
Who has left his Grub behind.
 
Heinkelballoonburster.jpg


The above picture shows a captured German Aircraft fitted with Balloon Deflectors
 
:-[ Alf Apologies for not having acknowledged your early post. I've not been able to find Blew Street or Blew Street Park. Could you give me some indication of where it was. I'm working off the Allday's Map Of Birmingham 1938, and also using a modern day version A-Z of Birmingham.
Once I've tracked down the location, I should be able to work out which Squadron manned the site.
Thanks for your help.
 
:) Alf & postie Thanks for that. The Allday's map shows a recreational ground bounded by Blews St, Pritchett St, New John St & Aston Road. The missing 's' blew me off track. This is the closest site I've found to the City Centre. I reckon it was originally a 912 Sqn site and then probably a 913 Sqn site when 912 went to France. However, I've not worked out the exact dividing line between 911 & 913, and later on in the war, they were merged into 911/913 Sqn as one unit, covering the north barrage.
 
Postie you are Brill on Photos but not on Streets\


Its St Stephens, Elkington, Miller,Morsome and Newtown Row is the trapment Area :)
 
Blews street is a continuation of Elkington Street and ends at Brewery Street so Alf Postie was correct it is indeed off Pritchett Street
 
Not according to my my AtoZ so now I'm going to be accued of being a misery old 70 year old :2funny:
In fact Blews Street is not on my map its called Ashford Street continuation of :-\
 
Alf I reckon you are not talking about Blews St at all but thr Rec Ground Ashford St ,St Stephens and Elkington St (The Triangle)
 
I think that the Recreation ground is what we called Blews Street Graham. It might be that Blews Street was in part renamed? It was hard surfaced when we were kids but I understand that much earlier on it had some gardens. Alf Blews Street is a continuation of Elkington Street I lived local and played there!!!
 
I am corrected sorry lads :-[ But Cromwell that Rec in Ashford Street was always known as Blew St Park to us lads why? and thats where the Balloon was sited.Is there another Rec in Blews Street which I have now found on my Map. Postie you are a good Photo getter and Map reader after all ^-^
 
:) See my Post #46. Allday's map shows a small recreational area, but this does not appear in Rod's map in Post #52. Reading Alf's Post#47, I checked Alldays map, and the second site is the most likely. Thanks to everyone for the team effort to tie down the location; really enjoyed the 'banter', it blew me away! This is still the closest site to the City Centre. 914 & 915 Sqn only gave the square on the Allday's map of where a balloon was. The squares are 1/2 mile squares, so I appreciate the 'accuracy' of the sites provided on this thread. I reckon I've tracked down about 40 sites, so only about another 110 to go.
 
Thanks Phil on the Banter thats nothing wait till we get started :2funny: :knuppel2:
 
I can confirm that the Recreation Ground was always known as Blews Street Park and was on Elkington Street, and the other roads mentioned. I saw the barrage balloon many times, as I walked past to visit my grandparents who lived in New John Street, just round the corner from Elkington Street School.

Another site I was told about yesterday was on Hodge Hill Common and there was also an Ack Ack site there. It will need confirmation.
 
:) sylviasayers Thanks for that. Just shows the importance of local knowledge. Must have cheered Alf up!
Next question - were there any huts on the site?
Thanks also for the snippet about HodgeHill Common. Anyone out there who could confirm this site?
 
Phil, I can't say that I remember any huts on Blews Street Park site, as I was only 7 years old when the war ended, but I was always fascinated by the barrage ballon - may have been more than one. It was a good place to site it though, very near Miller Street Tram Depot, which was bombed, and of course right in the middle of an industrial area.

One point the chap who told me about the Hodge Hill Common site made was that although the balloons were a deterrent to the Germans, they also indicated that there were factories etc., that needed defending - must admit I hadn't thought of that.
 
NAZARETH HOUSE LONGBRIDGE

Is there anybody who can confirm the presence of a barrage balloon site at the RC Childrens Home Nazareth House? Nazareth House was by the roundabout of the Bristol Road and Lickey Hill, literally opposite the factory entrance to the Austin car factory.
There was a balloon site at Daffodil Park, near Longbridge railway station, one on Rubery Hill, one next to Lickey Hill Golf Course, and one by Bittel Reservoir. There were also balloon sites at Northfield reservoir, and Frankley Beeches.
The site at the Golf Course was known as site 60, but there was a site 61, listed in Rednal. Unfortunately a Blenheim bomber collided with the cables of site 61 and crashed. I'm trying to locate site 61, and the nearest I have come to identifying it is a vague comment that someone thought there was a site at Nazareth House, but no confirmmation.
Nazareth House no longer exists, and is now the site of St Columba's Primary school.
Any help would be gratefully accepted
 
:) sylviasayers Good point about the balloons indicating where the targets were. I think the balloons were positioned where they expected the enemy to bomb, so the assumption was that the targets were already known.
The balloons were not necessarily meant to bring the aircraft down. By having a balloon barrage, the bombers could not fly as low as they wanted. Forcing them higher degraded the bombing accuracy and just as important, brought the bombers up into the searchlight screen and range of the anti-aircraft artillery. It was all complementary.
Looking at the barrage arranged around the Austin aero works at Longbridge, it was very difficult for the bombers to get a good run over the target. Similarly with the protection around the Castle Bromwich Spitfire factory.
 
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