Wartime miscellany

Talking of wartime inflatable tanks...

They should have used them as barrage balloons, would have given enemy pilots a shock.

Talking of barrage balloons we watched a really silly 1942 film on Talking Pictures on Tuesday called " The balloon goes up" but it did show some interesting footage of barrage balloons at Cardington, Bedford, which was a training ground. An interesting shot of one if the big hangers full of balloons.

I'm sure the following is quite a familiar experience for many who lived in Coventry at the time; both my parents to be (they were not yet teenagers at the time and hadn't yet met each other) had the experience of barrage balloons descending on their house and gardens. My mother lived in 'Browns Lane' opposite the Jaguar factory, where her father worked, had a balloon come down in their back garden, no doubt giving the chickens a bit of a fright! The house is no longer there, having been demolished some time in the 70's I think, to make way for an access road to new build houses on the land behind the house. My father lived in 'Billing Road' and had the same experience with a balloon coming down from its position between 'Billing Road' and 'Maudsley Road', somewhere near the bakery that was there for many years. I guess 'Bakers Lane' gives the game away!

I knew an old chap who lived in Pilkington Rd, Canley Gardens. He told me about a barrage balloon that broke away from Hearsall Common. It wedged itself between his house and the one next door. It popped with a bang and put a big crack down his inside bathroom wall. He was still peeved that he had to pay for the damage repairs himself.

Don't forget this War Memorial Park Barrage balloon footage I added to the Park thread a while ago.

Exactly what my dad and his family were doing during the blitz. Saved their lives it did. One of Hitler's bombs demolished the rear of their house in Earlsdon. If they hadn't been under the stairs, I would not be here doing this post!

Hi Slim, They must have been sheltering from the same bomb! My mum and Nan were in Queensland Avenue. After one raid they had a UXB in the back garden so had to go and live in Leamington with relatives of my Nan's sister. Mum did not like it as she had to catch the Midland Red back to Coventry every day as she worked at the Gauge and Tool.

What a small world, Anne. Not far away, Broomfield Road. My dad's family were put up in a farmhouse at Honiley. My dad was at the Gauge, designing machines for the war effort. He was promoted to Chief Designer. He was also a sergeant in the Home Guard.

My mother and father were 'bombed out' at the top of Kirby Road, Earlsdon. Luckily she was at her mother's house not too far away so escaped the blast (father away in the Fleet Air Arm). They lost most of the new furniture and wedding presents in the blast. Some wooden garages were erected on the site postwar which were there for years, but I notice on 'Google Street view' that a new house has been built there. The same 'stick' of bombs took out part of Hearsall Lane and houses on Craven Street I believe.

Hi Slim, I think my mum was a progress chaser, she met my dad there although he spent some time doing work for the Gauge at Browns Lane. The man who my nan later married (she was divorced) also worked there, Eric Wilson, he was an engineer. His dad was also there but I don't know what he did, I think he might have been connected with the Union. Dad and Eric were Special Constables.

Just seen a link to a 1945 youtube video of Coventry called "Post-blitz Coventry, July 1945 RAF War Film" I don't think we have had it on here before. Not sure how to link it safely

Link for you, Anne

Thanks MR, I hoped you would do it for me. It's an interesting bit of film.

I think I have seen it before but thank you Anne and MR for the link. The commentary was not a Coventrian by his accent, I would say a Northerner. Interesting just the same.