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Elmdon Airport Birmingham International Airport

more photos of the family at the airport The top photo is my brother Clifford Commander My Mom Jean me (Janice) Gran Ada Gregory and Grandpa Walter Gregory
 

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Out in the sticks Brummy said:
more photos of the family at the airport
Click to expand...
As someone who collects old postcards and relevant photographs, I never cease to stress how vital it is that if there is a background to the people in the photo, where possible insert date & location and as an addition who is in the photo. The reason is that now the photos are personal and you know it is Mum & Dad at Elmdon in nineteen hundred and whatever, but in fifty years time when those photos have been abandoned by your heirs and are in the public domain at a flea market or similar, out there is a collector who picks it up, looks at the back, knows where and what Elmdon was and goes whoopee, I'll have those for a £1.00 each and through that collector a little piece of history (not your family (except the fashion)), but the plane and building are now identifiable timewise and locationwise. One of my best ever buys was a picture of a sailor and a soldier holding a rifle between them with a girl standing on the rifle in front of some trees. The dealer knew it came from Devon, because he had bought a Devon collection, but there were no clues as to where it may have been. I knew where it was instinctively because I had an identified picture of the same people. It was not a real soldier or a real sailor or a real rifle, but participants in a village fete and carnival in 1911 who had won first prize, my identifiable picture showed all the participants on the cart that had carried their entry and had been identified on the back and cost me a lot more than the one with no detail. A great deal more in fact. Old photos are sometimes worth their weight in gold, because they often show places that no longer exist.

Bob
 
jagjane said:
Hi I used to go castle hills farm riding school, in the 80’s? Albert Hadley owned castle hills then, his sister lived in the adjoining residence, there was a brother Ralph? I was always curious about the building half way up the lane, opposite the hay field, never did find out, would luv to know more & see pictures of the farm in its days as a dairy farm, last I’d heard Albert had moved to Meriden? after the extension, beleive the horses moved to sanctuaries, such a shame I had many happy times there, luv to know more, & I also discovered the plane crash on the farm - there’s more information about it now
Click to expand...
I visited the farm several times in the 60's. The farm building as I recall was split occupancy. My friend's grandparents, Mr and Mrs Newman occupied one side but I have forgotten the neighbours name. The part they occupied had one large living room with low roof beams with a scullery to one side with a Belfast sink and wooden draining board. There was also a doorway which had been blocked off - not sure if this connected to the adjoining property? There was no inside toilet / bathroom and as I recall there were several out buildings which had once been used as pig styes. Also an outside loo - the seat was a wooden plank.

By the mid 70s the building was vacated and remained empty for a while before it became a riding school. I'm still in occasional contact with my friends parents and will ask if they have any photos.
 
jagjane said:
Hi I used to go castle hills farm riding school, in the 80’s? Albert Hadley owned castle hills then, his sister lived in the adjoining residence, there was a brother Ralph? I was always curious about the building half way up the lane, opposite the hay field, never did find out, would luv to know more & see pictures of the farm in its days as a dairy farm, last I’d heard Albert had moved to Meriden? after the extension, beleive the horses moved to sanctuaries, such a shame I had many happy times there, luv to know more, & I also discovered the plane crash on the farm - there’s more information about it now
Click to expand...
What was the location of this farm in relation to the airport, and what exactly was discovered of the plane crash ie any parts and when jagjane​
 
Elmdon Boy said:
What was the location of this farm in relation to the airport, and what exactly was discovered of the plane crash ie any parts and when jagjane
Click to expand...
Map from 1938 below. Crash was 1946.The airfield isn't shewn but by 1950s the end of the runway dissected Elmdon lane just to the right of Elmdon Farm. The Aircraft was recovered. see Hansard link on post #348

134419
 
Thanks for your location details of the farm devonjim and mbenne.
Unfortunately for me the site quoted for details of the aircraft recovery cannot be opened. It says site unsafe!
 
Bob Davis said:
As someone who collects old postcards and relevant photographs, I never cease to stress how vital it is that if there is a background to the people in the photo, where possible insert date & location and as an addition who is in the photo. The reason is that now the photos are personal and you know it is Mum & Dad at Elmdon in nineteen hundred and whatever, but in fifty years time when those photos have been abandoned by your heirs and are in the public domain at a flea market or similar, out there is a collector who picks it up, looks at the back, knows where and what Elmdon was and goes whoopee, I'll have those for a £1.00 each and through that collector a little piece of history (not your family (except the fashion)), but the plane and building are now identifiable timewise and locationwise. One of my best ever buys was a picture of a sailor and a soldier holding a rifle between them with a girl standing on the rifle in front of some trees. The dealer knew it came from Devon, because he had bought a Devon collection, but there were no clues as to where it may have been. I knew where it was instinctively because I had an identified picture of the same people. It was not a real soldier or a real sailor or a real rifle, but participants in a village fete and carnival in 1911 who had won first prize, my identifiable picture showed all the participants on the cart that had carried their entry and had been identified on the back and cost me a lot more than the one with no detail. A great deal more in fact. Old photos are sometimes worth their weight in gold, because they often show places that no longer exist.

Bob
Click to expand...


well put bob i totally agree with you

lyn
 
Elmdon Boy said:
Thanks for your location details of the farm devonjim and mbenne.
Unfortunately for me the site quoted for details of the aircraft recovery cannot be opened. It says site unsafe!
Click to expand...
Hi Elmdon Boy - the link used to work but appears to access 3rd party site. Use the link below to access Hansard Gov site direct. I have already specified the search criteria which will display the results you are looking for.

hansard.parliament.uk

Find in Hansard - Hansard - UK Parliament

Search across different types of Hansard content, including debates, contributions in debates, Members, written statements, written answers, Ministerial correc
hansard.parliament.uk hansard.parliament.uk

Would be good to identify the Naval aircraft/squadron which was based in Scotland
 
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Elmdon Boy said:
Thanks for information mbenne
Click to expand...
Have tried to identify this aircraft. A researcher on airhistory.org.uk/spitfire has also said that he failed to identify it too. I still have a couple of ongoing enquiries and will update if anything comes back. In the meantime I found this link on Derelict Places -re the old air base. I'm not sure if the description is correct as I always thought the structures were part of air defence, rather than the RAF airbase HQ, as there were also gun emplacements nearby. Anyone remember the underground structure which sits outside the airport perimiter fence beside the A45 - Coventry to B'ham direction. As a kid I was tempted to explore but the place was always flooded and rather smelly!

www.derelictplaces.co.uk

Raf Elmdon BHQ

This history from pastcape A former World War two military airfield opened in 1939, now a civil airport. The airfield at Elmdon was used as an Elementary Flying Training School (for 51 Group) during World War Two. The wartime airfield had two intersecting concrete runways and was provided with...
www.derelictplaces.co.uk www.derelictplaces.co.uk
 
mbenne said:
Have tried to identify this aircraft. A researcher on airhistory.org.uk/spitfire has also said that he failed to identify it too. I still have a couple of ongoing enquiries and will update if anything comes back. In the meantime I found this link on Derelict Places -re the old air base. I'm not sure if the description is correct as I always thought the structures were part of air defence, rather than the RAF airbase HQ, as there were also gun emplacements nearby. Anyone remember the underground structure which sits outside the airport perimiter fence beside the A45 - Coventry to B'ham direction. As a kid I was tempted to explore but the place was always flooded and rather smelly!

www.derelictplaces.co.uk

Raf Elmdon BHQ

This history from pastcape A former World War two military airfield opened in 1939, now a civil airport. The airfield at Elmdon was used as an Elementary Flying Training School (for 51 Group) during World War Two. The wartime airfield had two intersecting concrete runways and was provided with...
www.derelictplaces.co.uk www.derelictplaces.co.uk
Click to expand...
I seem to recall that there was some sort of structure on the land around the driveway up to Elmdon Hall but like you never went in as it was full of water. I did go into one of the concrete bunkers on the other side of the airport. We got to it via Elmdon lane (or was it Land Lane?) after walking down from Marston Green railway station. Disappointing and a bit scary for a young lad, just a damp, dark place. We didn't linger.
 
On the airport side, again outside the perimiter fence, there was also a pill box on the golf course.
Just found Ariel photo of the airfield on the imperial war museum site but cant get my bearings on the A45!
www.iwm.org.uk

ROYAL AIR FORCE FLYING TRAINING COMMAND, 1940-1945.

Oblique aerial view of RAF Elmdon, Warwickshire, seen from the north-west. A broad concrete taxiway (lower left) leads from the Austin Motors Ltd assembly sheds (partly visible at bottom left), under the Coventry-Birmingham railway line, to the airfield perimeter.
www.iwm.org.uk www.iwm.org.uk

Some interesting pieces on Elmdon in this link too. Apologies if this has already been posted

Austin Test Pilot

www.austinmemories.com
 
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mbenne,

Just in case you haven't found them, there's a Pillbox Study Group and a similar air defence group on the web. Just type pillbox UK into Google.

Maurice
 
Looking at the IWM image in post#591 suggests to me the following sequence of 4 aerial views looking towards the Coventry Road. I've added red circles to identify what I think are the same positions in each view.

View 1 the IWM image with aspect ratio altered to match following images.
P1_ElmdonIWM.jpg

View 2 just before the opening of the old terminal.
P2_earlyelmdon.JPG

View 3 an image from Google Earth dated 1945. Modern roads marked on it
P3_Elmdon1945.jpg

View 4 an image from Google Earth now.
edit ... Circle should be slightly more to left in this view 4 reference comments in #594 #595
P4_ElmdonNow.jpg
 
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Spargone said:
View 4 red circle should be about a diameter to the left, not touching the residue of runway 06/24. Otherwise very good, (I can see two places that I lived and one school!).
Click to expand...
Yes I agree with you, my circle is slightly too far right in view 4.
View 1 (IWM) has no paved runways so must be early.
Your mention of 06/24 reminds me of one evening returning from Paris and the aircraft landed on 06 ... most strange I thought the pilot had lost his way. I have also been in aircraft which landed on 24.
 
mbenne said:
Have tried to identify this aircraft. A researcher on airhistory.org.uk/spitfire has also said that he failed to identify it too. I still have a couple of ongoing enquiries and will update if anything comes back. In the meantime I found this link on Derelict Places -re the old air base. I'm not sure if the description is correct as I always thought the structures were part of air defence, rather than the RAF airbase HQ, as there were also gun emplacements nearby. Anyone remember the underground structure which sits outside the airport perimiter fence beside the A45 - Coventry to B'ham direction. As a kid I was tempted to explore but the place was always flooded and rather smelly!


See my post #234 regards the underground structure on this thread mbenne.
Click to expand...
 
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