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Castle Bromwich Aerodrome

The expression 'flying machine' dates it somewhat as apposed to the more modern aircraft/aeroplane, it reminds me of a Tiger Moth (although somewhat larger) which I took my first flight in way back in 1944. Big Gee your aeronautical knowledge is much admired. I was in the RAF for 8 years and have little 'knowhow' of aircraft apart from those I flew in. Eric
 
Hello again.

I've done a bit more checking up - there were 3-seat versions of the 504K built, but they had an enclosed cabin, which the aircraft in the photo hasn't got. Only one of each type (504M and 504Q) of the 3-seaters were built, and I believe they were both for civilian use. The photo is definitely of an RAF machine, and only two heads are visible in the open cockpits! Very strange. Either my identification or the hand-written caption is wrong. If I can find out any more info, I'll post it. Out of interest, a 504K is still flying at the Shuttleworth Collection, not bad for an aircraft that first flew over a century ago.

Also out of interest, I can remember being in our back garden in Witton and seeing Spitfires and other aircraft on their approach to Castle Bromwich for scrapping. This would have been the late 1940's/early 1950's, so I was very young. Honest! To this day I can't understand why the Attlee Government ordered virtually all war-surplus aircraft to be scrapped, as there were countries all around the world who would have paid much-needed money for them. Maybe the Government was concerned that some of them could have been used against us.....

G
 
Hopefully the aircraft in the pic in post#1 was not among those listed below ...
08/01/1918 Avro 504 A3371, of 74 Training Squadron turned with insufficient airspeed and crashed – presumably near Castle Bromwich. 2/Lt D F Farrar was injured.

11/01/1918 Avro 504 A8572, of 28 Training Squadron crashed into trees and wires when the engine failed on take off from Castle Bromwich. Cadet P A Kennedy was injured.

16/02/1918 Avro 504 B4379, of 28 Training Squadron hit a tree while force landing close to Castle Bromwich aerodrome. 2/Lt J Farley was injured.

09/03/1918 Avro 504, serial D57, of 74 Training Squadron crashed after the pilot attempted to turn down-wind and stalled, at Castle Bromwich. 2/Lt H W Ford was seriously injured.

19/04/1918 Avro 504, serial D1, of 74 Training Squadron stalled and crashed at Castle Bromwich when the engine failed. Lt Henry Blackman and 2/Lt W H Hadfield were seriously injured.

29/04/1918 Avro 504 D185 of 54 Training Squadron stalled and spun off a turn at Castle Bromwich. 2/Lt C W Mercer was slightly injured.

04/06/1918 Avro 504 D6299, of 28 Training Squadron spun into the ground near Castle Bromwich. 2/Lt Victor George Cheeseman was seriously injured.

16/06/1918 Avro 504 D162, of 54 Training Squadron spun in off a turn when landing at Castle Bromwich. 2/Lt Joseph Herries was slightly injured.

04/07/1918 Avro 504 D7783, of 54 Training Squadron hit a tree while taking off from Castle Bromwich. 2/Lt Neville Victor Scott was slightly injured.

06/10/1918 Avro 504 B927, of 28 Training Squadron crashed while taking off from Castle Bromwich, when the engine failed. 2/Lt Ormand Hilton Curry was slightly injured.
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Unfortunately, training accidents like these must have been frequent. Those listed are dated 1918, so presumably there was much active training at CB at that time, despite it being towards the end of the war. Would they have been training mostly in surveillance or some for other purpose? Viv.
 
It was an important training airfield and being across the road from the Spitfire Factory was used intensively for air tests during WW2. The main problem was probably being too close to Birmingham.
Three aerial views of the airfield
1928 - Showing the buildings top right which look like those seen in the pic in post#1
The circle marked on the grass top left might be for identification or 'compass swinging' and see what looks like a RAF roundel painted on the grass opposite corner.
1_CastleBromwich1928.JPG
1937 - The white object in the middle of the field is a biplane aircraft - use enlarge button to see it
2_CastleBrom1937.jpg
1948 - A tarmac runway and some new hangars had been added. At that date when my dad was working at the B.I.F. I used to sit on the edge of the field watching Tiger Moths taking off and landing and saw my first helicopter there.
3_CastleBromwich1948m.jpg
images from 'britainfromabove'

There are some pics of Tiger Moths in front of the hangers in a forum post here https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/castle-bromwich-aerodrome.21139/#post-448007
A memorable air display mentioned in a forum post here ...
oldMohawk said:
Does anyone remember air displays at Castle Bromwich.
I saw one on the 6th September 1952.
A Lancaster bomber took off with rocket assistance, and an American F86 Sabre Jet broke the sound barrier, with loud sonic bangs, in a dive at the airfield, passing over the Chester Rd, 200ft up probably doing about 650mph.
I think the date is correct because on the way back into Bham we bought the Mail, and read that John Derry and other people were sadly killed at Farnborough when his DH110 jet broke up.
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https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/air-displays-castle-bromwich-airfield.9470/
Also some videos of RAF Castle Bromwich here
https://www.macearchive.org/Results.html?County=West midlands&Town=Castle+Bromwich
 
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An early pic of the airfield but not clear enough to identify the aircraft. It must have been interesting living in Castle Bromwich when that lot were flying.
Castle Bromwich_undated.jpg
 
A view of RAF Castle Bromwich dated 1936. The aircraft rather untidily parked on the left are Avro 504s. The Chester Road is behind the buildings and the Kingsbury Road island top right.
1_CastleBrom_1936.JPG

An enlargement shows a registration number G-EBOX on one aircraft which identifies it as a 504R 'Gosport'. Notice the petrol pumps not far from them.
2_Av504gebox.JPG

An aerial view today with large retail warehouses prominent ... what a difference !
3_CastleBromnow.JPG
 
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Tiger Moths. Yellow use to fly out of Eldom airport in the 1940s 1950s loved to see them fly over my house in Yardley
 
These two aircraft were photographed by me at Castle Bromwich aerodrome sometime between 1956 and 1958.
The first (VF529) is an Auster but I do not know what it was used for. The second is a Blackburn Beverley which was a gigantic transporter aircraft. Dave.

P1020717 (2).JPG P1020718 (2).JPG
 
MTaylor said:
Re: Castle Bromwich Areodrome

Hi,

I'm researching the history of gliding at Castle Bromwich aerodrome. Can anyone help me? I believe that an ATC unit was based there post-war, but when did it start, and when did it disband? Was the ATC the only gliding activity at CB, or was there any private gliding. Was there only winch launching or was aerotow used? Where were the gliders kept - presumably in one of the hangars? Does anyone have the names of any instructors or students? Any if you've got any photographs of gliding at CB......

Thanks, MT
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Welcome to the forum MTaylor. Hopefully someone will be able to help you. And we'd be interested to hear about your progress too. Good luck with your research. Viv.
 
Hi Viv,

the ancient 1930 aircraft in your photo is an Armstrong Whitworth Argosy 3-engine airliner. One was named City Of Birmingham and its registration marking was G-EBLO. Amazingly these aircraft actually had a bar!

G
 
suemalings said:
Re: Castle Bromwich Areodrome

I went to Cherrywood Secondary Modern School in Bordesley Green. We used the aerodrome as playing fields and huts became our changing rooms. This would have been around 1964.
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Yes it was the playing fields for our school Cherrywood secondry modern, Bordesley Green. But we had to go to Somewhere in Belchers Lane. They built the Vale estate on the grounds of the aerodrome. I went to live on the vale 1971.
 
You are quite right Elmdon Boy. I have now moved thread
Will combine and separate threads
 
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When I was a young aircraft spotter in 1962 or 1963 there was a Chipmunk aircraft based at Elmdon owned by the local Birmingham Airport Flying Group. It was all white and registered G-AOFF.
I heard a tale at the time that whilst flying from Elmdon it developed an engine problem whilst near to Castle Bromwich aerodrome, and elected to land there as a safety measure. It apparently landed, fixed the problem and then took off again back to Elmdon.
Castle Bromwich at the time had been closed for many years, but had yet to be built on and engulfed by the Castle Vale estate.
If this tale is true, and I have never seen in print anything to substantiate it, then this movement probably would have been the last aircraft to land and take off from this aerodrome.
Has anybody else heard this, or can confirm my story.
 
I cannot confirm your story directly, but can confirm that the runway was still in place right up until they started building the housing estate. I stood on the runway watching the machine break the concrete up, around mid 60's.

Coincidentally, my great grandfather was an aircraft engineer and pilot in WWI. He apparently told a similar story of an aircraft he was flying developing a fault. So, he landed in a field, fixed it and took off again.

He had quite a scar across the top of his head, done when an aircraft propeller hit him when he was starting it.

I would say its highly likely your story could be true.
 
MTaylor said:
Re: Castle Bromwich Areodrome

Hi,

I'm researching the history of gliding at Castle Bromwich aerodrome. Can anyone help me? I believe that an ATC unit was based there post-war, but when did it start, and when did it disband? Was the ATC the only gliding activity at CB, or was there any private gliding. Was there only winch launching or was aerotow used? Where were the gliders kept - presumably in one of the hangars? Does anyone have the names of any instructors or students? Any if you've got any photographs of gliding at CB......

Thanks, MT
Click to expand...
Have you tried contacting the Gliding Heritage Centre? An article on there suggests Castle Brom was used around 1935 for auto tow launches.
 
Might be of interest, although doesn't answer original question. (Still searching on that one). Viv.

image.jpeg

image.jpeg
 
Elmdon Boy said:
When I was a young aircraft spotter in 1962 or 1963 there was a Chipmunk aircraft based at Elmdon owned by the local Birmingham Airport Flying Group. It was all white and registered G-AOFF.
I heard a tale at the time that whilst flying from Elmdon it developed an engine problem whilst near to Castle Bromwich aerodrome, and elected to land there as a safety measure. It apparently landed, fixed the problem and then took off again back to Elmdon.
Castle Bromwich at the time had been closed for many years, but had yet to be built on and engulfed by the Castle Vale estate.
If this tale is true, and I have never seen in print anything to substantiate it, then this movement probably would have been the last aircraft to land and take off from this aerodrome.
Has anybody else heard this, or can confirm my story.
Click to expand...

I thought i had a photograph of 'OFF', but it turns out is was 'OFE' which was also an Elmdon resident at the time.
 
After initial and principal training in the RAF, in 1955, the first aircraft I flew in was a Chipmunk. I went with a Group Captain, from the Group HQ we were based at, to Hullavington. It was quite trilling as it being a small aircraft where the sky and ground kept coming into focus as he put her through the paces. Being an ex WW2 pilot I guess he had nostalgia for his wartime aircraft.
 
Radiorails, the Chipmunk wasn't a wartime aircraft, first flight in 1946.
Viv, your newspaper clipping shows a line up of Gloster Gladiators.
1937, not 1927!
 
Thanks EB have edited my post.

WW2 preparations at Castle Bromwich, including Nuffield's factory.

image.jpeg

image.jpeg

And the National Defence Public Interest Committee having a nose around. Viv.

image.jpeg

image.jpeg
 
Further 1930s images. Viv.

image.jpeg

Would Mrs S Henshaw be related in any way to Alex Henshaw I wonder ? Viv.
image.jpeg
 
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