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Nechells, WW2, Home Guard and the Poppitt family (and M.B. Wild and L.H. Newton)

ChrisM

ChrisM

Super Moderator
Staff member
With Di's generous help I have pulled some information together about WW2 Nechells and her father-in-law's role there. It also includes a few snippets about M.B. Wild & Co. in Argyle Street and the 1941 air raid on L. H. Newton & Co. in Timber Mill Lane.

There's too much to post here but if any forum member is interested in looking at it, it can be seen at: https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences38staffshg.htm

If anyone has any additional relevant information which they would like to see included, please let me know.

Chris
 
Congratulations on putting together a very good and informative article. It is well worth reading and reflects the goodness and cooperation to be found among the members on this 'Brilliant Web Site'. :great:

Pom :angel:
 
Echoes Kudos here. Great to learn more about the Home Guard and the dedicated people who were involved in the safety of so many citizens during
WW2. Thanks again.
 
Thanks everyone, you are very kind.

These things can't be pulled together and recorded for the future without someone being able and willing to dig out the raw material in the first place - so thanks, Di!

On the Home Guard, any more takers?

Chris
 
I've recently added a page which contains the story of one of Harry Poppitt's Aston/Nechells Home Guard comrades, Arthur Musson. He worked at Hercules.

It's here if anyone wishes to read it.

Chris
 
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of the WW2 Home Guard in Nechells.

I lived at 236 Rocky Lane in the early 50's and opposite where we lived on the corner of Cromwell Street & Rocky Lane there was what the called the 'bombed site'.

I later found out it was a bombed church and someone said that there had been many people killed who were sheltering in the rooms under the church while the air raids were on, but I have never found out if this story is true or the name of the church.

ChrisM, the website is well laid out and full of interesting information and a real credit to you. I shall enjoy reading it all the way through as I think living memories are an important contribution to the recording of our Social History and future generations can learn such a lot from these accounts of real life.

Well done to all those who took the time to contribute thier living memory stories and to ChrisM for his work in recording these and his up keep of such an important and interesting historical website.

Louisa
 
Thanks for your kind words, Louisa. I’m sure someone will be able to offer information on that dreadful incident but in the meantime the searchable Barra/Swanshurst website tells us that there were at least four occasions when people lost their lives in that area: 26th August, 25th October and 19th November 1940 and 10th April 1941.

The church you mention must have been the Rocky Lane Methodist Chapel, opposite what is now St. Joseph's School. In the “Rocky Lane” thread elsewhere in this forum Cromwell mentioned that he had some pictures of the chapel after it had been hit.

Chris
 
Hi,

really enjoyed reading the info. I wonder if you can tell me whether Erdington came under Aston at that time, or whether they had a separate home guard, i didn't see Erdington listed on the other site. My grandfather was in the home guard, and I know very little about his time during the war, other than he worked at Dunlop, lived in Erdington and was sent to Liverpool to help fight the fires, but luckily they stopped bombing when he got there.
 
Mand,

Erdington certainly had its own Home Guard Battalion, quite separate from the Aston unit(s) although probably co-operating in different ways. I believe that Erdington was the responsibility of two Battalions, the 23rd Warwickshire (Birmingham) Battalion and the 52nd Warwickshire ditto. The city eventually had no less than 31 battalions, each comprising anything up to a thousand blokes and later on some women too.

In rural areas a battalion would cover a large area – many square miles. But in the cities their area of responsibility was much more concentrated. And several, like the one to which Arthur Musson belonged, comprised a string of works units – companies or platoons – each of whose specific responsibility was one of the larger factories, which must have led to some overlap of areas.

I haven’t listed Erdington yet (the nearest I get to it is Stockland Green) because no material has been forthcoming to date. I’m sure it’s there, tucked away in lofts and threatened with the dreaded black bin bags before it can be recorded for posterity. I have been very grateful for the contributions of several members of this forum and live in hope that one or two more will be equally generous. It would be a tragedy if all these memories are lost.

Chris
 
I was there when L H Newton was bombed.
Not in the factory but in an air raid shelter in Long Acre right next door to Newton's.
I was 22 months old when Dad was handing me down to Mom when the bomb hit. Dad chucked me down to Mom and then dived in himself.
The shelter was one of those dug into the ground and with corrugated iron as a roof.
Also on that night an incendiary bomb came down the side of Newtons and down the chimney of the brew-house but didn't go off.
Memories.
Bob Steele
 
Re: Home Guard in Nechells, Aston and elsewhere

In an earlier post in this thread I mentioned that in my HG website I had included some information about Mr. Arthur Musson who was a member of the Hercules factory Home Guard unit (after being bombed out of the BSA). Mr Musson has generously provided me with quite a bit of further information and that is now included. If anyone wants to look at it, it's here: https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences45staffshg.htm

There's also some new information about Jim Baker, a member of the Bordesley Green unit:https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences48Bordesleystaffshg.htm

The current complete list of what I have so far collected about the Birmingham Home Guard is here: https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscencesWarkssstaffshg.htm#birmi

The two most recent items items appear as a result of the help given me by a forum member, Junie, to whom I am very grateful. Other members have previously provided fascinating information too. But there are many, many gaps and if anyone else can provide information about this aspect of the city's recent history I shall be most grateful.

Chris
 
ChrisM said:
Mand,

Erdington certainly had its own Home Guard Battalion, quite separate from the Aston unit(s) although probably co-operating in different ways. I believe that Erdington was the responsibility of two Battalions, the 23rd Warwickshire (Birmingham) Battalion and the 52nd Warwickshire ditto... .......
..........I haven’t listed Erdington yet (the nearest I get to it is Stockland Green) because no material has been forthcoming to date. I’m sure it’s there, tucked away in lofts and threatened with the dreaded black bin bags before it can be recorded for posterity. I have been very grateful for the contributions of several members of this forum and live in hope that one or two more will be equally generous. It would be a tragedy if all these memories are lost.
Click to expand...

ChrisM mate just found this. are we on the right track here,
be nice to think so.. Derek
 
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ChrisM said:
With Di's generous help I have pulled some information together about WW2 Nechells and her father-in-law's role there. It also includes a few snippets about M.B. Wild & Co. in Argyle Street and the 1941 air raid on L. H. Newton & Co. in Timber Mill Lane.

There's too much to post here but if any forum member is interested in looking at it, it can be seen at: https://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences38staffshg.htm

If anyone has any additional relevant information which they would like to see included, please let me know.

Chris
Click to expand...
Hi Chris - I have found a large General Service Button whilst metal detecting today in Staffordshire - it’s marked MB Wild Birmingham on the rear, but I can’t find any info on them manufacturing them - do you know if they did? Or could it be for their own Home Guard ? I am not sure how to upload a photo as its saying the file is too large unfortunately…

Thanks
Donna
 
Donna8412 said:
I am not sure how to upload a photo as its saying the file is too large unfortunately…

Thanks
Donna
Click to expand...
Right click photo and open with "paint".Top left of screen will look like this
1693246432044.png
Click on resize and chose 20 or 25. The image will then resize. Click on file and "save as" (this is so you still have your original should you need it). Gve it a name and save. This image should then be small enough to upload.
 
How did you get on with this, Donna? It would be good to see the button.

(If you are still struggling, a possibility would be for you to email the image to me and I'll have a go. Let me know and I'll provide an email address).

Chris
 
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