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WWII Barrage Balloon Sites

Does anyone recognise this balloon site location from the buildings in the background? It was sent to me by the son of William Lewis, who served with 914 Squadron in Birmingham. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Managed to get copies Alton Douglas's books OK.
 
Aston,
I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that part of Birmingham. I'm not sure the building is tall enough for the stand. There was a balloon site in Aston Park, but the balloon in this photo is very close to the road, whereas I thought the site in Aston Park was further inside.
Perhaps other folk might be able to shed light on the Aston site.
Thanks for the response.
Regards
Phil
 
Hi Phil, the only thing I was going on was the building end in the fore ground looks like the style of the old offices at villa park. There would be no stand if it was taken from the witton end in the 40s as that end of the ground was just a soil bank, I think the Post Office had the land that the balloon in on after the war? but I may be mistaken.
Regards ASTON
 
Thanks Aston. Looking on Alldays Map of Birmingham for 1938 there is a Drill Hall shown at the back of Villa Park, on Witton Lane/Witton Rd. Could it have been there?
 
Phil the photo in reply 88 has got unusual gable ends which I will check out next time I go past the Villa
 
Aston, Thanks for the reply. The map is dated 1938, so I presume they carried on using it after the war.
 
Cromwell,
Thanks, I would appreciate that.
Regards
Phil
 
Balloon

I worked at Metro Cammell for years and worked with a bloke whose father fell out of a balloon,and died he was manning it in Witton lakes,has any body got records of this.

Mossy???
 
WWII Barrage baloon sites

A bit late but I've only just joined the Webring.
There was a site in a playing field by the old 37 bus terminus on Stratford Rd. at the Birmingham/Shirley boundary. I can remember pieces of ice coming off the cable and landing in our garden in Baldwins Lane.

Eric
 
there was a barrage balloon at bordesley green east park. at the back of eastfield rd. phil carr.
 
Phil, I was born in Oakhill Crescent Acocks Green in 1940. At the back of the house is/was a large field with anti Aircraft guns stationed there. Also I remember a barrage balloon. A lot of the field was set out as allotments and after the war it slowly got used more and more as a sports field for Severne Road and Pitmaston Rd schools. I hope this is of some use to you.
 
Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to the thread. Sorry for the lack of replies, but have not been able to keep up with the research for various reasons.
I reckon I've now been able to track down about one third of the Birmingham sites.
Hope to get the research completed by late August, the 70th anniversary of when the squadrons were embodied.
 
Mossy,

Thanks for the report about the possible casualty at Witton. I can find no reference to that death. I can only find a reference on a different balloon site to an airman who got caught up in the cables, but did not get lifted up, and did not die.

I have a list of all the casualties from the Birmingham balloon sites. if you can send me a PM with a name, I'll check it against the list.

Phil
 
There was a balloon site on the schools playing fields in Henry Rd, Yardley, it was a fenced off part of Oaklands Rec and was near to the Battery of 3.7in AA Guns on Oaklands Rec, Church Rd, former Oaklands Rec entrance. Len.
 
Thanks lencops

Hi lencops

Thanks for your 2 posts. Concerning the book on the Hull Balloon Squadrons, I have seen the website and met the author of the book. He has helped me a lot in my research. I hope to produce a similar book for the Birmingham & Coventry Squadrons.

Phil
 
Hi! Phil,
Just been talking to mum about this as I can remember standing in the back garden watching men jump from baskets beloew the balloons.Tthis would have been in the early 1950s and living in Walmley.These ballons would have been at Castle Bromwich.

Mum tells me that there was a a balloon depot between Rectory road and Whitehouse Common Road (St Georges Barracks) Sutton Coldfield

You asked for reminicenses. this too from Mum who used to live in Berwood Road, Walmley.

There was a surface shelter in the garden where Mum was sleeping one night to be woken in the morning by the sound of heavy boots. on looking out of the shelter she found several military men. On being asked what they were doing in her garden they said that they had come to collect their balloon.

Seemingly the Windy ridge balloon as it was known locally had broken free and the steel cable was wrapped round a tree at the bottom of the garden.

Mum said that that it looked like an elephant at the bottom of the garden
 
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