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Billesley Common Airfield

superdad3

superdad3

master brummie
Early aviation in Birmingham started with the founding of the Birmingham Aero Club in 1909. In 1911 they moved to a field on Billesley Farm. While researching the Prosser family of St Agnes Road, Moseley, I discovered that young Edwin Prosser was an early member of the Birmingham Aero Club and obtained his pilots license in 1913 aged 17. Edwin was in the forefront of early aviation and was involved in flying displays at the airfield.

Regular use of the airfield started with the Midlands Flying School based there from 1915 and in 1916 it was designated as a Home Defence Landing Ground for No. 38 Squadron but never used by the military.

Edwin moved to Australia and in 1917 volunteered for the Australian Flying Corp as an engineer but later returned to England and ultimately ended up in an asylum. Sad ending for a real pioneer.

By early 1921regular flying at Billesley seems to had ended.

Interestingly in 1973 the RAF Recruiting Roadshow held an major event there with flypasts by a Vulcan Bomber and the Red Arrows and a Harrier landing pad.


b a art.jpgep.jpgbill plaq.jpg
 
superdad3 said:
Early aviation in Birmingham started with the founding of the Birmingham Aero Club in 1909. In 1911 they moved to a field on Billesley Farm. While researching the Prosser family of St Agnes Road, Moseley, I discovered that young Edwin Prosser was an early member of the Birmingham Aero Club and obtained his pilots license in 1913 aged 17. Edwin was in the forefront of early aviation and was involved in flying displays at the airfield.

Regular use of the airfield started with the Midlands Flying School based there from 1915 and in 1916 it was designated as a Home Defence Landing Ground for No. 38 Squadron but never used by the military.

Edwin moved to Australia and in 1917 volunteered for the Australian Flying Corp as an engineer but later returned to England and ultimately ended up in an asylum. Sad ending for a real pioneer.

By early 1921regular flying at Billesley seems to had ended.

Interestingly in 1973 the RAF Recruiting Roadshow held an major event there with flypasts by a Vulcan Bomber and the Red Arrows and a Harrier landing pad.


View attachment 188815View attachment 188816View attachment 188817
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I remember watching a Harrier land there - it must have been 1973. From my recollection we were able to get quite near to "the action". It would be much different these days with vastly increased H&S rules!
 
superdad3 said:
Early aviation in Birmingham started with the founding of the Birmingham Aero Club in 1909. In 1911 they moved to a field on Billesley Farm. While researching the Prosser family of St Agnes Road, Moseley, I discovered that young Edwin Prosser was an early member of the Birmingham Aero Club and obtained his pilots license in 1913 aged 17. Edwin was in the forefront of early aviation and was involved in flying displays at the airfield.

Regular use of the airfield started with the Midlands Flying School based there from 1915 and in 1916 it was designated as a Home Defence Landing Ground for No. 38 Squadron but never used by the military.

Edwin moved to Australia and in 1917 volunteered for the Australian Flying Corp as an engineer but later returned to England and ultimately ended up in an asylum. Sad ending for a real pioneer.

By early 1921regular flying at Billesley seems to had ended.

Interestingly in 1973 the RAF Recruiting Roadshow held an major event there with flypasts by a Vulcan Bomber and the Red Arrows and a Harrier landing pad.


View attachment 188815View attachment 188816View attachment 188817
Click to expand...
A Vulcan Bomber? That would have been loud!
 
In 1973, I was working for the MEB, based at their Kings Road, Kings Heath, depot. I well remember the V bomber flying over. Terrific sight.



Steve.
 
NOTSHARP said:
In 1973, I was working for the MEB, based at their Kings Road, Kings Heath, depot. I well remember the V bomber flying over. Terrific sight.



Steve.
Click to expand...
I also remember seeing a Vulcan (the last one to fly) over Sutton Coldfield some years ago - superb site. Not as loud as when Concorde overflew East Drive at Fort Dunlop back in the 80's though - that WAS loud as it had just took off from Birmingham Airport (I think it could only fly with a limited load due to the length of the runway back then).
 
The Vulcan was an incredible machine. Impressive in flight and noisy but instantly recognisable.

The Midland Air Museum [near Coventry Airport] has a Avro B2 Vulcan in its collection and it's even more impressive close up. Was allowed to sit in the cockpit [very cramped] but that was many years ago. Museum much expanded and well worth a visit, Full details on their website at https://www.midlandairmuseum.co.uk/about.php
 
I well remember the Billesley Common airshow in 1973. - The Red Arrows were flying Folland Gnats at that time and the display was superb. I've seen them many times since but nothing has come close to that display in 1973. The Harrier landing and taking off was equally impressive. I joined the RAF three years later, so as a recruitment exercise it certainly worked.
 
Looking at the O/S map for 1905, my guess would be that the original "Airfield" would not have been on the site of the Modern Billesley Common. Billesley Farm was about where the present Billesley Primary school is - and the biggest field was to the south of it - So that original flying field would have been in the triangle bordered by the Present Yardley Wood Road, Trittiford Road and the Chinn Brook Meadow. - all long since built over apart from the thin strip of the Chinn Brook Meadow.
 
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Just to clarify - Billesley Common was historically much larger than the present "Billesley Common" and spread for some distance on both sides of Yardley Wood Road.
 
The "airfield" was never more than just that - a big field that aircraft took off and landed in. Looking at the 1905 OS map, it's by far the biggest field in the area, so a natural place to fly those early aircraft from. Although marked for use as an emergency landing field during WW1, this did not mean there were any personnel there or any facilities other than possibly a windsock. It's probable that some of the early aircraft and gliders (prior to WW1) were stored in barns at Billesley Farm between use, but that was knocked down and built over in the late 1920s and 30s.

There is some coverage of the 1973 Billesley airshow on the "moseleians" website...

High Jinks Over Billesley | The Moseleians Association

moseleians.co.uk moseleians.co.uk

1905 OS Map
 
The airshow lasted two weeks - August 11-27th. My wife tells me that we went but sadly I have no recollection. There was also a fly past by a Lancaster according to "Billesley and Surrounds".
 
Lloyd said:
Very interesting - but not Billesley Common?
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First article is about cakes in a marquee on Billesley Common for an RAF exhibition. Second article gives a bit more info about the man responsible.
However, if it is of the NEC i don’t think it would relate to the airfield. I can't see a date.
 
V interested to see it was an airfield. My father told me he was demobbed at BC in 1945. Does this sound right ? regards
 
superdad3

Thread 'Billesley Common Airfield'

Early aviation in Birmingham started with the founding of the Birmingham Aero Club in 1909. In 1911 they moved to a field on Billesley Farm. While researching the Prosser family of St Agnes Road, Moseley, I discovered that young Edwin Prosser was an early member of the Birmingham Aero Club and obtained his pilots license in 1913 aged 17. Edwin was in the forefront of early aviation and was involved in flying displays at the airfield.

Regular use of the airfield started with the Midlands Flying School based there from 1915 and in 1916 it was designated as a Home Defence Landing Ground for...
  • Appreciate
 
superdad3 said:
Early aviation in Birmingham started with the founding of the Birmingham Aero Club in 1909. In 1911 they moved to a field on Billesley Farm. While researching the Prosser family of St Agnes Road, Moseley, I discovered that young Edwin Prosser was an early member of the Birmingham Aero Club and obtained his pilots license in 1913 aged 17. Edwin was in the forefront of early aviation and was involved in flying displays at the airfield.

Regular use of the airfield started with the Midlands Flying School based there from 1915 and in 1916 it was designated as a Home Defence Landing Ground for No. 38 Squadron but never used by the military.

Edwin moved to Australia and in 1917 volunteered for the Australian Flying Corp as an engineer but later returned to England and ultimately ended up in an asylum. Sad ending for a real pioneer.

By early 1921regular flying at Billesley seems to had ended.

Interestingly in 1973 the RAF Recruiting Roadshow held an major event there with flypasts by a Vulcan Bomber and the Red Arrows and a Harrier landing pad.


View attachment 188815View attachment 188816View attachment 188817
Click to expand...
 
V interesting. My father said he met my mum to be on Billesley Common in 1945 after demob'.

Lancasters/Wellingtons were I believe used to ferry POW's back to blighty.

Any thoughts on where these large bombers may have landed in the vicinity?

regards
 
alan west said:
V interesting. My father said he met my mum to be on Billesley Common in 1945 after demob'.

Lancasters/Wellingtons were I believe used to ferry POW's back to blighty.

Any thoughts on where these large bombers may have landed in the vicinity?

regards
Click to expand...
Hi Alan, Off-topic, but to answer your question. The nearest reception airfield for British POWs was RAF Cosford near Wolverhampton. The other reception airfields were Westcott , Wing and Oakley, all in Buckinghamshire, and Dunsfold in Surrey. POWs had no say in which airfield they were sent to. On arrival, they would be fed, deloused (if they hadn't been already) given replacement uniforms to make them presentable, attend a pay parade to be given a portion of their back-pay (or an advance on their next pay if they had elected for their pay to be given to their families). Then those conscripted or on "for duration" service would be sent on leave, told where to report to when their leave was over (usually two weeks I think) and then given rail warrants for their journey home and to where they had to report to after their leave (the airfields seem to have been selected for easy access to railway stations). "Regulars" were usually given a rail warrant to report to their depot or a training base and then be given leave once they had reported there. A few senior officers and NCOs who had been responsible for the running of POW camps were given rail warrants to London and told to report to offices there for debriefing. Although a lot of heavy bombers were pressed into service for the operation, a sizeable proportion of the POWs were carried home on DC3 Dakota transport aircraft. Returned POWS on "for duration" service might have to wait many months before being "demobbed". - One of the biggest "demob" depots was RAF Wythall on the outskirts of Birmingham (where the current Transport Museum is). The whole exercise to bring POWs home from Germany was called "Operation Exodus".

en.wikipedia.org

Operation Exodus (WWII operation) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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