Castle Bromwich Aerodrome

[Radiorails]

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!

Please read my post, I made no reference to wartime, other than the Group Captain having been a pilot in WW2, my flight was, as I wrote, in 1955. I suggested that the Chipmunk, being quite manoeuvrable was the nearest he could get to a Spitfire or Hurricane etc. etc.

 

[Elmdon Boy]

His wife's name was Barbara Viv, not sure of his mothers name.

 

[Elmdon Boy]

Please read my post, I made no reference to wartime, other than the Group Captain having been a pilot in WW2, my flight was, as I wrote, in 1955. I suggested that the Chipmunk, being quite manoeuvrable was the nearest he could get to a Spitfire or Hurricane etc. etc.

My apologies Alan, I misread your statement, and assumed you meant the Chippie was a wartime aircraft.
I was only trying to be informative to yourself and others.

 

[Merton Pool]

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.

You are quite right, I know the pilot personally and he is the last pilot to ever land at CB. It wasnt an an engine failure it was an elevator trim problem.

 

[ChrisM]

Welcome to the Forum, Merton Pool, and thanks for that useful first contribution.

Chris

 

[badpenny]

I'm certain that i have a photograph of 'OFF' somewhere, or it may be 'OFE', that was an Elmdon based machine as well.

 

[oldMohawk]

Some information about Chipmunk G-AOFF there are photographs of it on the usual websites.

 

[Elmdon Boy]

You are quite right, I know the pilot personally and he is the last pilot to ever land at CB. It wasnt an an engine failure it was an elevator trim problem.

Thanks for that Merton Pool. I'm glad my tale is confirmed. What was the name of the pilot, I know a past member of the flying group, but when I asked her she didn't remember the incident.
Also any idea of the exact date.
Badpenny, any idea when Chipmunk G-AOFE was an Elmdon resident, I only remember G-AOFF.

 

[badpenny]

That's a very good question, maybe OM could confirm or otherwise.

I have photographs of both somewhere, but OFE may have been taken at Castle Donington and not Elmdon.

I have over twenty thousand B&W negatives alone and it would take me weeks to sort through them.

 

[oldMohawk]

That's a very good question, maybe OM could confirm or otherwise.
I have photographs of both somewhere, but OFE may have been taken at Castle Donington and not Elmdon.
I have over twenty thousand B&W negatives alone and it would take me weeks to sort through them.

There is information about G-AOFE on the website link below but it does not confirm an Elmdon connection.
https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/G-AOFE/849096
There are photos of the aircraft on link below
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/G-AOFE

 

[Elmdon Boy]

Wow old Badpenny, 20000 negatives, how many are aviation linked. Would love to see the aviation ones.
Don't lose them, make sure there never skipped, they must be saved for posterity for historical purposes.

 

[badpenny]

The negatives are mainly a mix of aircraft and railways, with obviously some family stuff amongst them.

To be honest after all these years you tend to forget what it is you have actually got in the collection.

They should be properly catalogued but i always find other priorities for my free time.

 

[sospiri]

I know that feeling well, Badpenny, there's always something more interesting to do than trying to remember when & where you took a particular shot, especially when it was taken before the advent of digital cameras!

Maurice

 

[Elmdon Boy]

I would be willing to help with cataloguing the aviation ones. Perhaps we could arrange something.

 

[RobbyG]

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.

I also remember the aerodrome/playing fields very well, I was at cherrywood from 1960 to 1965. Going on a school hired corporation bus, getting changed in the old huts left vacant from years past. I just loved the playing field mornings. Used to play football until one day the PE teacher Mr Freer decided we should all run round the perimeter of the airfield, a mate and I were cheesed off and decided to walk round, Mr Freer not too pleased and was summoned to the Gym at lunch time, both had the size 12 pump. We had to touch our toes and he would wack us with the pump, just one smack but thats all it needed as when he delivered the hit his feet left the floor. Happy days

 

[Radiorails]

Apart from the cane many boys became familiar with a size 12 plimsoll, aka M le Soulier in the French classes.
I once witnessed a poor soul, a bumpkin from the Worcestershire sticks, getting the size 12. He was asked to conjugate the verb 'to be'. He launched into, I be, you be, he be - he was halted before he got any further. Sad in a way as that was the vernacular used where he lived.

 

[Vivienne14]

Battle of Britain anniversary at the aerodrome, 1945. Viv.
Source: British Newspaper Archive

 

[Ianlowe]

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.

I attended the air shows, 1952, 53, 54, 56 with my father who had been stationed there. I think the Lancaster you refer to was a Lincoln. I remember there were Seafires displaying, a Sunderland flew over. Yes, I remember the Sabre breaking the sound barrier. It was also the only time I ever saw a Wellington fly. Had my photo taken in a Tiger Moth.
I always loved seeing the Lincoln, it was not at 1956 though.
One of few childhood memories I treasure.

 

[Richard Dye]

I attended the air shows, 1952, 53, 54, 56 with my father who had been stationed there. I think the Lancaster you refer to was a Lincoln. I remember there were Seafires displaying, a Sunderland flew over. Yes, I remember the Sabre breaking the sound barrier. It was also the only time I ever saw a Wellington fly. Had my photo taken in a Tiger Moth.
I always loved seeing the Lincoln, it was not at 1956 though.
One of few childhood memories I treasure.

Welcome to The Forum Ian, enjoy!

 

[SidewaysSyd]

Re: Castle Bromwich Areodrome

I remember cycling over to the Aerodrome from Sutton in the late 50's or early 60's and there was a section you could get into through the fence which contained wrecked 'planes from WW2, British and German. They were little more than scrap but for a lad brought up on The Battle of Britain it was a paradise!

I was brought up in Rosslyn Road in Walmley from when the houses were first built, so late 50s. As a toddler, I have vague memories of seeing pile upon pile of old aircraft from a distance. Minworth was only a short walk away and later on, my two older brothers told me they used to walk down there and after getting through the fences, they played in Lancaster gun turrets. Has anyone got photos of the site? I've been to Birmingham library and looked through their photo archives and there's nothing, well nothing of the piles of aircraft.

 

[SidewaysSyd]

Re: Castle Bromwich Areodrome

Hello,
Regarding Castle Brom Aerodrome and just for general interest, I can recall a barrage balloon with a basket below it and paratroopers dropping out of it. I think the parachutes were on an automatic opening device. That must have been in the late fifties as I was born in 1952. I also recall around the mid Sixties being in my back garden and watching a Spitfire fly over in a last salute to the Aerodrome before it was built on.

I remember this too. I could see them from our back garden in Rosslyn Road, Walmley. I was born in 1953 so I must have been 4 or 5.

 

[oldMohawk]

I was brought up in Rosslyn Road in Walmley from when the houses were first built, so late 50s. As a toddler, I have vague memories of seeing pile upon pile of old aircraft from a distance. Minworth was only a short walk away and later on, my two older brothers told me they used to walk down there and after getting through the fences, they played in Lancaster gun turrets. Has anyone got photos of the site? I've been to Birmingham library and looked through their photo archives and there's nothing, well nothing of the piles of aircraft.

Long ago on the forum (2011) someone asked a question about the aircraft shown in link.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ody-is-being-transported-in.33243/post-415027
I spent a long time searching for the street, visiting websites about dumps and scrapyards where the RAF sent unwanted aircraft in the years after WW2.
Have a look through the thread ... there may be info about sites.
oldmohawk ...

 

[Brian95]

I had my first driving lesson on the old Castle Brom airfield and then watched as they built Castle Vale while working at Fisher & Ludlow

 

[SidewaysSyd]

Long ago on the forum (2011) someone asked a question about the aircraft shown in link.
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ody-is-being-transported-in.33243/post-415027
I spent a long time searching for the street, visiting websites about dumps and scrapyards where the RAF sent unwanted aircraft in the years after WW2.
Have a look through the thread ... there may be info about sites.
oldmohawk ...

Thanks for the tip...nothing there but another link took me to another URL...ploughing through 148 pages, but nothing yet!

 

[Peter Mason]

I remember this too. I could see them from our back garden in Rosslyn Road, Walmley. I was born in 1953 so I must have been 4 or 5.

The Castle Bromwich balloon jumps (March) launched our parachuting for the year. The parachutists were from the Para Engineers, Barrows Lane Sheldon, the Para RASC, Coventry and Medics, Stockfield Road Acocks Green.

I remember this too. I could see them from our back garden in Rosslyn Road, Walmley. I was born in 1953 so I must have been 4 or 5.

 

[Moor End Lad]

I'll brain dump what I know before I go.

My father worked on the Spitfire Mk 1X production line at Vickers Armstrongs (now Jaguar) during 1943. At the ripe old age of 16 he was team leader on assembly of the tailplanes, assisted by two even younger girls who had come down from Sunderland for the war effort. When he could wangle it, he would get to drive the tractor that towed the completed planes over the Chester Road to Castle Brom airfield for their test flight. On reaching 17 in February 1944 he joined the RAF, and I presume that he was based at the airfield. Following his third flight he was found to be red/green colour blind, so transferred to the navy.

During WWII there were american servicemen based at the airfield, and two were billetted at my grandparents council house on the Chester Road. One was a red indian called Jim.

My own memories are firstly of riding my bike down Park Lane to a sale of surplus equipment from Nissan huts sometime around 1963. Once construction of Castle Vale had begun in 1964 it opened access to an RAF residential road that cut the corner from Kingsbury Road down to Chester Road, which allowed a group of us lads to storm a nearby pill box on the airfield.

In 1965 my widowed grandmother moved to the newly built Argosy House tower block just off Farnborough Road. From there I was able to walk on the remainder of the runway, which was definitely concrete and not tarmac.

During the summer of 1972 I worked for Dunlop labelling tyres at their storage facility in the huge flight shed at the bottom of Park Lane.

Sadly, it's all now gone.

 

[Brian95]

I'll brain dump what I know before I go.

My father worked on the Spitfire Mk 1X production line at Vickers Armstrongs (now Jaguar) during 1943. At the ripe old age of 16 he was team leader on assembly of the tailplanes, assisted by two even younger girls who had come down from Sunderland for the war effort. When he could wangle it, he would get to drive the tractor that towed the completed planes over the Chester Road to Castle Brom airfield for their test flight. On reaching 17 in February 1944 he joined the RAF, and I presume that he was based at the airfield. Following his third flight he was found to be red/green colour blind, so transferred to the navy.

During WWII there were american servicemen based at the airfield, and two were billetted at my grandparents council house on the Chester Road. One was a red indian called Jim.

My own memories are firstly of riding my bike down Park Lane to a sale of surplus equipment from Nissan huts sometime around 1963. Once construction of Castle Vale had begun in 1964 it opened access to an RAF residential road that cut the corner from Kingsbury Road down to Chester Road, which allowed a group of us lads to storm a nearby pill box on the airfield.

In 1965 my widowed grandmother moved to the newly built Argosy House tower block just off Farnborough Road. From there I was able to walk on the remainder of the runway, which was definitely concrete and not tarmac.

During the summer of 1972 I worked for Dunlop labelling tyres at their storage facility in the huge flight shed at the bottom of Park Lane.

Sadly, it's all now gone.

We used to meet up at the Tyburn House for a blast down the Tamworth Straight on our bikes, I nearly got up to 60 mph on mine !!, I worked at Cincinnatti /HME overlooking the Castle Vale 63/64, my first car driving experience was on the old runways on the Vale and then went on to work at "Fishers" on nights driving a fork truck in the press shop for several years, gradually seeing the lights appear as the buildings went up and became lived in, made redundant, walked out Friday Morning and started at Dunlop the next week but lasted just 6 months. Butch Edwards ran the Murco garage on the Vale and also drove a a banger with the Tamworth Jalopy Club. Blimey, a real blast from the past.