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Castle Bromwich Aerodrome

Wow , just look at all that open space! just great pics,just used to love watching the guys on a sunday morning jump out of the basket suspended under a balloon,& have a cuppa in the Drome Cafe.
 
The Baron said:
Wow , just look at all that open space! just great pics,just used to love watching the guys on a sunday morning jump out of the basket suspended under a balloon,& have a cuppa in the Drome Cafe.
Click to expand...

Do you mean parachute training TheBaron? Or observing or weather watching?

Drome cafe August 2009 & the canal lock behind the cafe, taken from Hansons bridge.
 
There is a good book covering the both Castle Bromwich aerodrome and Elmdon airport through the war period. It has photos of war production at both the Austin Longbridge and Fisher & Ludlow Castle Bromwich Plants.

Aviation in Birmingham.

Geoffrey Negus & Tommy Staddon,

Midland Counties Publications.
 
I worked for a company called Brain Haulage whose yard was behind the flight "shed" and backed onto the railway. Elan Parcels were next door and the dairy was opposite us on Park Lane. I was fortunate enough to shake hands with Alec Henshaw one day when he visited the site as part of some anniversary to do with the Spitfire / Castle Brom factory or something like - this was sometime in the late 80's/early 90's.

At the time the big hangar was being used to store surplus grain and after it had all been shipped out I managed to go inside the hangar and was pretty awestruck at the size of the building - it was later demolished with the Betterware warehouse going up in its place.

There was always talk of a "phantom airman" who would roam the place at night - many of our drivers claimed to have spotted him and often drivers from our other depots who were parking overnight and sleeping in their trucks would detach their trailers and park their trucks right outside the offices where the night staff were as they were scared to park in the dark !!!!!!

Anyhow, heres a pic of one our trucks parked alongside the giant doors to the shed which was at the end nearest the railway line :)

BrainOPU255X.jpg
 
After be hijacked in many different ways, I ask again, does anyone know the name of the Royal Naval Aircraft Yard attached to Castle Bromwich Airfield?

I also managed to find the original RAF Crest for the Airfield.
View attachment 39144
 
old mohawk I remember one air show at Castle Bromwich when the jet fighter took off the tarmac behind lifted up and fly out behind. the same year a parachute drop went astray and most of the stick dropped into the canal. Moss in Aus
 
Chocks2 - Not sure anyone hijacked anything as the posts are all relevant to the original post.

I worked with someone who may be able to throw some light on your question and have sent off an email. Will post result if he can help. Sadly the one person who may have known [Frank my Half Brother] died a couple of years ago.
 
Hi Maurice - I don't remember Tarmac runways on CB airfield. I posted this using my wifes iPod so it's a short reply. When I get on a computer I will do some checks.
oldmohawk
 
Chocks2, A friend who's father worked there, as a civilian, has suggested that it may have been un-named. He knows a flight was stationed there for R & D testing of arrester hooks fitted to aircraft for use on aircraft carriers. He says there were a number of cables fitted across the runway to allow for this testing.

Colin
 
ColinB - thanks for that as I was puzzled as to why they would have been there. My Brother was in the Fleet Air Arm by the way. Seems to have been based up in Fife for much of his time or working out of same.
 
Thanks Alf - I have two early memories of the field, the 1st must have been during the war. My dad worked at the Spitfire factory and one day we went there and I remember watching Spitfires being air tested over the field. The 2nd memory was pre 1950 when my Dad worked building exibition stands for the British Industries Fair (BIF). I used to go out of the building and watch Tiger Moths flying. I also remember Helicopters taking off with passengers. As an aside, I saw my 1st television screen in the BIF building, and my sister an myself were amazed to see ourselves 'on screen':)
 
Just had this reply from my old colleague:

"Hi Bernard, yes there was a small contingent of the Fleet Air Arm at Castle Bromwich airfield which as you know was commandeered principally for testing the Spitfires (and I believe Lancasters latterly) built at the nearby Pressed Steel Fisher factory now Jaguar. I don't think that it was a squadron, probably an Air Repair yard preparing Seafires ie arrester hooks, roundels, sea type camouflage etc. We actually landed there overnight once to re-fuel when I was a TAG in Avengers out of Stretton Lanc's and that is when I met Edna, at a dance.There was also a Fleet Air Arm Squadron at Elmdon but god knows why".
 
Bernie, that seems to support my post, he is looking to see if there is anything further in his late fathers papers, about the airfield.

Colin
 
Unfortunately Derrick was not stationed there so knows only a little of what went on. However I have now written to ask if he can confirm that it would not have had a designated name in its own right.
 
Additional information from Derrick responding to my Q as to whether the Navy Aircraft Personnel would have their own designation.:

"Because of the nature of Castle Brom airfield ie production testing I am almost certain that the Navy lads would be what we used to call an 'Air Repair' unit which would not have a specific squadron name or insignia. The individual engineers may well have been sent there in short term bunches by their respective Squadrons from all over the country to 'gen up' on Spitfire modifications, sea conversions etc. For example when I was on the Collossus in the far east I went ashore in Trincomalee on a two week air repair course on Curtis electric props because the ship carried American Corsairs,Avengers and Wildcats".
 
Wow! thanks for the info guys. I'v learnt more in the last ten minutes than I have in years. Bernie, please give a special thank you to your brother for me.
The runway section was still there in the early 60's roughly where the stables are on what is now Farnborough Rd and the actual Royal Naval Aircraft Yard (RNAY) was opposite the old Albatross pub up until the early 70's. The yard was a permanant site attached to the airfield used for developement testing and conversion to Seafires as stated but it was manned by civilians and only a few navy lads on detached duties.
As for Elmdon,and a fleet Air Squadron stationed there during WW2, that's a new one on me that I shall have great pleasure researching. Although I do know that the RNAS/RFC did play a major role in the early developement of Elmdon and just prior to WW2, when the RAF were handing the squadrons back to the RN a squadron of Hawker Harts was handed over at Elmdon which later became 826 Naval Air Squadron.
As for the name of the RNAY, perhaps it was simply RNAY Castle Bromwich. Perhaps I may never know but at least it has now been confirmed that it was there. People for years have not believed me when i've mentioned it. Thanks again one and all !
 
I know I've put this photo of a print of Castle Brom on here before, thought it might be of interest on this thread:)
 
Re Elmdon, in a book called "The Fleet Air Arm Handbook" theres quite a bit about FAA primary flight training and pictures of tigermoths at Elmdon.
I can remember going to the air display with my dad at Castle Bromwich, and ending up in the "lost child tent"
 
Re: Castle Bromwich Areodrome

Thank you Terry - I cannot get enough of this information - cheers.
 
Re: Castle Bromwich Areodrome

Scott,
There's a bit more about Castle Bromwich and the picture of the first Lanc. (as well as its fate) here : https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences30staffshg.htm.

Moggy200 - the pic. of the LAST Lanc. is fascinating too. Does it fit in with the above website page in any way - i.e. a Home Guard connection?

Please contact the webmaster if you would like anything about your relatives added to that page.

Chris
 
You saw one ? I was in one . Landing , Topcliffe , Stbd leg collapsed , lots of noise , Panic from u/t navs , Pilot says to me "best to say you weren't on board" .
So I kept quiet .
 
Castle Brom had two tarmac runways .
Both started over at the Minworth end , one from the north , roughly 225deg , one from the south , roughly 285 deg .
Unusually , they did not meet in the middle , but there were perimeter tracks to access them . These were not always used .
With regard to the big hangar at Minworth end , one of its uses was processing shells (bang kind) . I know that because
that's where the casings we made at Wilmot Breeden were sent , addressed to RN Yard , Minworth .
 
Re: Castle Bromwich Areodrome

Came across these pictures earlier this week in a box of old photo's I was given.
Written on the back of the pictures is "Tiger Moth, Castle Brom'ch 1939". It looks rather peaceful there so I guess it was before the war started.


castle brom 1939.jpg tiger moth castle brom 1939.jpg
 
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