Author Topic: Castle Bromwich airfield  (Read 94305 times)

Graham

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2006, 10:26:54 PM »
I was thinking about Castle Bromwich and suddenly remembered that I had been there in 1953, aged nine, at the British Industries Fair. It was then that I did see that Spitfire hanger. I looked for a link to the B.I.F. and found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Industries_Fair There is an interesting link on this site to Castle Bromwich airfield. Will take a look now.

This is the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Bromwich_Aerodrome

Graham.

John_Lerwill

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #12 on: November 17, 2006, 02:45:41 PM »
I believe I was at the last Battle of Britain Air Display at CB in 1958. A real mixture of old planes (including a Spitfire) and the newer V-bombers - noisy things!
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Langstraat

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #13 on: November 17, 2006, 03:26:49 PM »
I was there too John. I remember the barrage balloon at the entrance to the site and the Spitfire at the gate ( I think) My father helped to put some of Barns Wallace's ideas into reality enjoyed the bouncing bomb project and spent many weeks at Lady Bower Reservoir where they tested it.
Never argue with an idiot, they'll drag you down to their level and try to beat you with experience.

John_Lerwill

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #14 on: November 17, 2006, 03:38:59 PM »
Barns Wallis!!! Well, there's a feller...

I ran a small computer consultancy for about 25 years, and for much of that period I used to service a company next door to Brooklands, Surrey, which is where I think Wallis did a lot of his R and D. Brooklands was interesting in so many ways - it seemed to have a veritable WW2 and pre-WW2 atmosphere about it.
We are all ONE - despite appearances!

Bannion

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #15 on: November 17, 2006, 06:06:37 PM »
I vaguely recall going to a Air Display at Castle Bromwich and the F86 Sabre jet breaking the sound barrier, in a dive, over the airfield.  Would have been 1951 or 52.
The announcer told the crowd to be quiet and silence he got until we heard the boom as it went through it. 
Shortly afterwards the Sabre swept across the airfield to an appreciative crowd.
I suspected, but from earlier report am wrong,  this was the last airshow at Castle Bromwich (well for me it was)  for I remember going to others at RAF Gayden in Warwickshire before those too finished .

john2000

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #16 on: November 18, 2006, 09:27:05 AM »
Now that Castle Bromwich has gone, there is only one other place to go to bring back them there memories, its the Imperial war museum in Duxford near Cambridge, I was there three years ago with some French friends, it had everything, they even have an American air museum, with all the WW2 war plane on show, P51.B24,B29,B17 and the rest of them.
it was great to see these old war planes but then I had to explain to my French friends what they were and and what they did,but most knew what they were, but the children where looking in wonder at these old aircraft, but after a while, they started to get tied so then it was icecream time, it was a great day out, so if you find time to visit the uk, try and find time to pop down to Duxford, you will have a great day out, ..... ;D
Growing old is mandatory..........Growing up is optional

John_Lerwill

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #17 on: November 18, 2006, 10:25:14 AM »
Yes, John, I have been to Duxford a couple of times - tremendous isn't it? We're also quite close to RAF Hendon, which also has a wonderful museum, but not on the same scale as Duxford. Still big though. Somewhere in South Herts there is a Mosquito museum which I must visit one day.

At Duxford, did you spot Montgomery's Humber staff car? I saw it on my last visit, and it excited me. Why? Because when I was working for Rootes at Coventry ca. 1970, that very same car was in one of Rootes' engineering shops, and in-between time (a 25-year period) had found its way to Duxford.
We are all ONE - despite appearances!

Graham

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #18 on: November 18, 2006, 12:18:31 PM »
That last airshow at Castle Bromwich, I must have missed that somehow :'(

I did however at that time mange to get a private view of RAF Gaydon. I was still at school then but with the ATC 492 Squadron, Hall Green, and our commander was good friends with the head commander at Gaydon. He arranged for John Cox (his dad had a factory on Highgate Rd) and myself to visit the "V" bomber station, Gaydon, this while it was fully operational and Top Secret! They had "Victors", beautiful to look at, and "Valiants" flying round the clock fully armed with nuclear bombs.

While in Kent three years ago I cycled past a museum and outside there was one of Barns Wallis's bouncing bombs lying outside just rusting away. What a scandal!

John_Lerwill

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #19 on: November 18, 2006, 01:30:10 PM »
I was in 490 squadron, ATC, at Kings Heath, Graham - for awhile!

Gaydon, I believe, took over the Battle of Britain air display from CB, and I seem to remember being at Gaydon for that in 1959, the year after the last CB display.

Did anyone do plane-spotting at Elmdon (B'ham) Airport? I used to cycle over there and collect all the Rapide and Tiger Moth registrations, plus Viscounts,  Vanguards, Dakotas and Ambassadors and whatever other boring aircraft there were! There was rarley much of great interest (which is why I probably didn't keep it up too long), but I think I was there when the first jet airliner landed - a 707 I think. The amount of traffic through Elmdon used to be very low; an airliner every couple of hours, perhaps!
We are all ONE - despite appearances!

Graham

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #20 on: November 18, 2006, 04:32:48 PM »
J_L, plane-spotting, starting at Elmdon, was my life, and it was the grand base to my cycling feats. My bicycle being the only transport that I had meant that I had to cycle to airfields to do my spotting. When I started work at BSA, Small Heath, I would belt off on my bike to Elmdon during the 1 hour break, this gave me an extra 30 mins spotting per day!

As you say not much to see at Elmdon so I had to get to the spotter's dream, London airport. From the age of 13 I would cycle to London in 5 hours just to do a bit of spotting. Did most airfields within 100 miles and even got as far Thruxton, near Brighton,  to see the 'new' Tiger Moth conversion, the Jackeroo. There was one gem at Elmdon, a gyro-plane. My first flight was from Elmdon in a DH Dragon Rapide, canvas & string era.

I did learn to fly in the ATC and was accepted as RAF apprentice, straight from school, but my mom wouldn't sign my papers! She had lost her dad and husband in two world wars and wasn't keen on losing her son, me.

Graham

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Re: Castle Bromwich airfield
« Reply #21 on: November 18, 2006, 05:03:10 PM »
Here is that link from bostin... http://www.madeinbirmingham.org/ Thanks again.


 

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