Former WWII Balloon Barrage Operatives meet for 63rd Annual Reunion in London

For 63 years surviving WWII veterans and members of Balloon Command have been meeting for an annual dinner in London. On the 16th September, 2009, the surviving veterans of the Balloon Barrage Reunion Club met at The Union Jack Club near Waterloo for their annual reunion and dinner.

The barrage balloon was one of the iconic images of the war. On the day World War II broke out, the balloons were ready and flying over London within minutes. The balloons were positioned at strategic target sites across London, filled with hydrogen and let up on a long cable from a winch. They flew at about 6,000 feet, some armed with parachutes and some with parachutes and a bomb. Once an aircraft struck the cable it was almost always brought to a stall position and even if the cable was unarmed, the plane would crash. If the parachutes and bomb deployed, the wing was usually blown off before crashing. The balloon barrage was very good at stopping the enemy bombers from dive-bombing, but once the Luftwaffe realised that their planes would be brought down by balloon cables as they came out of their dive, they stopped such foolhardy attacks. Sites such as power stations had a ring of balloons surrounding them for protection.

The Balloons were flown by two corporals and ten airmen on an around the clock shift basis. In 1940, the idea was floated that balloons could be operated by WAAF's. The Commanding officers contested this idea. However the women of Britain were determined to show they were made of strong stuff! In April 1941, twenty WAAF Balloon Fabric Operators were trained in London. In May 1941, the first batch of WAAF volunteers was posted to a 10 week training course at a balloon centre. Initially, the powers that be, working on the basis that 10 men balloon operators could only be replaced by at least 20 women balloon operators, began to replace men with women in the squadrons. The women rose to the challenge and showed that 14 women were quite capable of replacing 10 men and this was eventually settled as the correct figure. By December 1942, 10,000 men had been replaced by some 15,700 WAAF balloon operators. For those squadrons who went abroad to defend vital installations, the operators were male.

The surviving members shown here with a picture of a barrage balloon, enlisted in WWII, and spent their time out in all weather, and all hours working a regular two hours on, four hours off, on the balloon sites. They needed to be physically fit and expert at splicing ropes of hemp and wire - certainly not a job for dainty hands. One ex-operator, “Midge” Gossett, pictured here wearing her WWII medals, told me that at RAF interview she was told that she might be unable to have any children after working as a balloon operator due to the heavy demands of the work, yet she went on to have five children!!

Balloons could tear easily as they were made from a cotton backed rubberized material and onsite repairs were often made requiring stitching and gluing of a patch. Operators had to use benzene-based solvents and were given extra milk ration to help counter the effects of the chemicals!! In stormy weather barrage balloons were frequently struck by lightning causing discharges to ground along the cable that could be fatal. Enemy bombers who came across a balloon knew that below the balloon was a possible target and were known to jettison bombs over the area. Usually it was practice to keep the barrage balloon hidden in cloud cover.

In 1944 some 2,000 UK barrage balloons were moved south to form a line of air defence to try and counter the V1 rockets or doodlebugs that had begun to attack Britain. The defences needed some tweaking, using fighters, guns and balloons but through the V1 attack barrage balloons accounted for at least 300 of the V1 doodlebugs.

During the war some 400 operators died on active service here and abroad.
The Balloon Barrage Reunion Club (www.bbrclub.org) has a membership of around 100 people which is open to anyone of any age who served in Balloon Command or simply has an interest in the balloon barrage of WWII. The club was formed in 1945 and has had a remarkably continuous run of reunion dinners through the years. Their activities in WWII were very important, I think they are a unique group, the “forgotten few” of Balloon Command whose activities went unsung. They certainly were a fantastic group of people who answered the call in WWII and did their part in giving us the freedom we enjoy today.
Here are the eight veterans of the reunion on Wednesday,
From left to right:
Mary Russel, Hazel Barrow, Marjorie “Midge” Gossett, Eileen Hollidge, Ethel Warren, David Wintle.
Front Row (Sitting ) Ann Aves and Honorary President of BBRC Phyll Wood)

For 63 years surviving WWII veterans and members of Balloon Command have been meeting for an annual dinner in London. On the 16th September, 2009, the surviving veterans of the Balloon Barrage Reunion Club met at The Union Jack Club near Waterloo for their annual reunion and dinner.

The barrage balloon was one of the iconic images of the war. On the day World War II broke out, the balloons were ready and flying over London within minutes. The balloons were positioned at strategic target sites across London, filled with hydrogen and let up on a long cable from a winch. They flew at about 6,000 feet, some armed with parachutes and some with parachutes and a bomb. Once an aircraft struck the cable it was almost always brought to a stall position and even if the cable was unarmed, the plane would crash. If the parachutes and bomb deployed, the wing was usually blown off before crashing. The balloon barrage was very good at stopping the enemy bombers from dive-bombing, but once the Luftwaffe realised that their planes would be brought down by balloon cables as they came out of their dive, they stopped such foolhardy attacks. Sites such as power stations had a ring of balloons surrounding them for protection.

The Balloons were flown by two corporals and ten airmen on an around the clock shift basis. In 1940, the idea was floated that balloons could be operated by WAAF's. The Commanding officers contested this idea. However the women of Britain were determined to show they were made of strong stuff! In April 1941, twenty WAAF Balloon Fabric Operators were trained in London. In May 1941, the first batch of WAAF volunteers was posted to a 10 week training course at a balloon centre. Initially, the powers that be, working on the basis that 10 men balloon operators could only be replaced by at least 20 women balloon operators, began to replace men with women in the squadrons. The women rose to the challenge and showed that 14 women were quite capable of replacing 10 men and this was eventually settled as the correct figure. By December 1942, 10,000 men had been replaced by some 15,700 WAAF balloon operators. For those squadrons who went abroad to defend vital installations, the operators were male.

The surviving members shown here with a picture of a barrage balloon, enlisted in WWII, and spent their time out in all weather, and all hours working a regular two hours on, four hours off, on the balloon sites. They needed to be physically fit and expert at splicing ropes of hemp and wire - certainly not a job for dainty hands. One ex-operator, “Midge” Gossett, pictured here wearing her WWII medals, told me that at RAF interview she was told that she might be unable to have any children after working as a balloon operator due to the heavy demands of the work, yet she went on to have five children!!

Balloons could tear easily as they were made from a cotton backed rubberized material and onsite repairs were often made requiring stitching and gluing of a patch. Operators had to use benzene-based solvents and were given extra milk ration to help counter the effects of the chemicals!! In stormy weather barrage balloons were frequently struck by lightning causing discharges to ground along the cable that could be fatal. Enemy bombers who came across a balloon knew that below the balloon was a possible target and were known to jettison bombs over the area. Usually it was practice to keep the barrage balloon hidden in cloud cover.

In 1944 some 2,000 UK barrage balloons were moved south to form a line of air defence to try and counter the V1 rockets or doodlebugs that had begun to attack Britain. The defences needed some tweaking, using fighters, guns and balloons but through the V1 attack barrage balloons accounted for at least 300 of the V1 doodlebugs.

During the war some 400 operators died on active service here and abroad.
The Balloon Barrage Reunion Club (www.bbrclub.org) has a membership of around 100 people which is open to anyone of any age who served in Balloon Command or simply has an interest in the balloon barrage of WWII. The club was formed in 1945 and has had a remarkably continuous run of reunion dinners through the years. Their activities in WWII were very important, I think they are a unique group, the “forgotten few” of Balloon Command whose activities went unsung. They certainly were a fantastic group of people who answered the call in WWII and did their part in giving us the freedom we enjoy today.
Here are the eight veterans of the reunion on Wednesday,
From left to right:
Mary Russel, Hazel Barrow, Marjorie “Midge” Gossett, Eileen Hollidge, Ethel Warren, David Wintle.
Front Row (Sitting ) Ann Aves and Honorary President of BBRC Phyll Wood)

For 63 years surviving WWII veterans and members of Balloon Command have been meeting for an annual dinner in London. On the 16th September, 2009, the surviving veterans of the Balloon Barrage Reunion Club met at The Union Jack Club near Waterloo for their annual reunion and dinner.

The barrage balloon was one of the iconic images of the war. On the day World War II broke out, the balloons were ready and flying over London within minutes. The balloons were positioned at strategic target sites across London, filled with hydrogen and let up on a long cable from a winch. They flew at about 6,000 feet, some armed with parachutes and some with parachutes and a bomb. Once an aircraft struck the cable it was almost always brought to a stall position and even if the cable was unarmed, the plane would crash. If the parachutes and bomb deployed, the wing was usually blown off before crashing. The balloon barrage was very good at stopping the enemy bombers from dive-bombing, but once the Luftwaffe realised that their planes would be brought down by balloon cables as they came out of their dive, they stopped such foolhardy attacks. Sites such as power stations had a ring of balloons surrounding them for protection.

The Balloons were flown by two corporals and ten airmen on an around the clock shift basis. In 1940, the idea was floated that balloons could be operated by WAAF's. The Commanding officers contested this idea. However the women of Britain were determined to show they were made of strong stuff! In April 1941, twenty WAAF Balloon Fabric Operators were trained in London. In May 1941, the first batch of WAAF volunteers was posted to a 10 week training course at a balloon centre. Initially, the powers that be, working on the basis that 10 men balloon operators could only be replaced by at least 20 women balloon operators, began to replace men with women in the squadrons. The women rose to the challenge and showed that 14 women were quite capable of replacing 10 men and this was eventually settled as the correct figure. By December 1942, 10,000 men had been replaced by some 15,700 WAAF balloon operators. For those squadrons who went abroad to defend vital installations, the operators were male.

The surviving members shown here with a picture of a barrage balloon, enlisted in WWII, and spent their time out in all weather, and all hours working a regular two hours on, four hours off, on the balloon sites. They needed to be physically fit and expert at splicing ropes of hemp and wire - certainly not a job for dainty hands. One ex-operator, “Midge” Gossett, pictured here wearing her WWII medals, told me that at RAF interview she was told that she might be unable to have any children after working as a balloon operator due to the heavy demands of the work, yet she went on to have five children!!

Balloons could tear easily as they were made from a cotton backed rubberized material and onsite repairs were often made requiring stitching and gluing of a patch. Operators had to use benzene-based solvents and were given extra milk ration to help counter the effects of the chemicals!! In stormy weather barrage balloons were frequently struck by lightning causing discharges to ground along the cable that could be fatal. Enemy bombers who came across a balloon knew that below the balloon was a possible target and were known to jettison bombs over the area. Usually it was practice to keep the barrage balloon hidden in cloud cover.

In 1944 some 2,000 UK barrage balloons were moved south to form a line of air defence to try and counter the V1 rockets or doodlebugs that had begun to attack Britain. The defences needed some tweaking, using fighters, guns and balloons but through the V1 attack barrage balloons accounted for at least 300 of the V1 doodlebugs.

During the war some 400 operators died on active service here and abroad.
The Balloon Barrage Reunion Club (www.bbrclub.org) has a membership of around 100 people which is open to anyone of any age who served in Balloon Command or simply has an interest in the balloon barrage of WWII. The club was formed in 1945 and has had a remarkably continuous run of reunion dinners through the years. Their activities in WWII were very important, I think they are a unique group, the “forgotten few” of Balloon Command whose activities went unsung. They certainly were a fantastic group of people who answered the call in WWII and did their part in giving us the freedom we enjoy today.
Here are the eight veterans of the reunion on Wednesday,
From left to right:
Mary Russel, Hazel Barrow, Marjorie “Midge” Gossett, Eileen Hollidge, Ethel Warren, David Wintle.
Front Row (Sitting ) Ann Aves and Honorary President of BBRC Phyll Wood)

For 63 years surviving WWII veterans and members of Balloon Command have been meeting for an annual dinner in London. On the 16th September, 2009, the surviving veterans of the Balloon Barrage Reunion Club met at The Union Jack Club near Waterloo for their annual reunion and dinner.

The barrage balloon was one of the iconic images of the war. On the day World War II broke out, the balloons were ready and flying over London within minutes. The balloons were positioned at strategic target sites across London, filled with hydrogen and let up on a long cable from a winch. They flew at about 6,000 feet, some armed with parachutes and some with parachutes and a bomb. Once an aircraft struck the cable it was almost always brought to a stall position and even if the cable was unarmed, the plane would crash. If the parachutes and bomb deployed, the wing was usually blown off before crashing. The balloon barrage was very good at stopping the enemy bombers from dive-bombing, but once the Luftwaffe realised that their planes would be brought down by balloon cables as they came out of their dive, they stopped such foolhardy attacks. Sites such as power stations had a ring of balloons surrounding them for protection.

The Balloons were flown by two corporals and ten airmen on an around the clock shift basis. In 1940, the idea was floated that balloons could be operated by WAAF's. The Commanding officers contested this idea. However the women of Britain were determined to show they were made of strong stuff! In April 1941, twenty WAAF Balloon Fabric Operators were trained in London. In May 1941, the first batch of WAAF volunteers was posted to a 10 week training course at a balloon centre. Initially, the powers that be, working on the basis that 10 men balloon operators could only be replaced by at least 20 women balloon operators, began to replace men with women in the squadrons. The women rose to the challenge and showed that 14 women were quite capable of replacing 10 men and this was eventually settled as the correct figure. By December 1942, 10,000 men had been replaced by some 15,700 WAAF balloon operators. For those squadrons who went abroad to defend vital installations, the operators were male.

The surviving members shown here with a picture of a barrage balloon, enlisted in WWII, and spent their time out in all weather, and all hours working a regular two hours on, four hours off, on the balloon sites. They needed to be physically fit and expert at splicing ropes of hemp and wire - certainly not a job for dainty hands. One ex-operator, “Midge” Gossett, pictured here wearing her WWII medals, told me that at RAF interview she was told that she might be unable to have any children after working as a balloon operator due to the heavy demands of the work, yet she went on to have five children!!

Balloons could tear easily as they were made from a cotton backed rubberized material and onsite repairs were often made requiring stitching and gluing of a patch. Operators had to use benzene-based solvents and were given extra milk ration to help counter the effects of the chemicals!! In stormy weather barrage balloons were frequently struck by lightning causing discharges to ground along the cable that could be fatal. Enemy bombers who came across a balloon knew that below the balloon was a possible target and were known to jettison bombs over the area. Usually it was practice to keep the barrage balloon hidden in cloud cover.

In 1944 some 2,000 UK barrage balloons were moved south to form a line of air defence to try and counter the V1 rockets or doodlebugs that had begun to attack Britain. The defences needed some tweaking, using fighters, guns and balloons but through the V1 attack barrage balloons accounted for at least 300 of the V1 doodlebugs.

During the war some 400 operators died on active service here and abroad.
The Balloon Barrage Reunion Club (www.bbrclub.org) has a membership of around 100 people which is open to anyone of any age who served in Balloon Command or simply has an interest in the balloon barrage of WWII. The club was formed in 1945 and has had a remarkably continuous run of reunion dinners through the years. Their activities in WWII were very important, I think they are a unique group, the “forgotten few” of Balloon Command whose activities went unsung. They certainly were a fantastic group of people who answered the call in WWII and did their part in giving us the freedom we enjoy today.
Here are the eight veterans of the reunion on Wednesday,
From left to right:
Mary Russel, Hazel Barrow, Marjorie “Midge” Gossett, Eileen Hollidge, Ethel Warren, David Wintle.
Front Row (Sitting ) Ann Aves and Honorary President of BBRC Phyll Wood)

For 63 years surviving WWII veterans and members of Balloon Command have been meeting for an annual dinner in London. On the 16th September, 2009, the surviving veterans of the Balloon Barrage Reunion Club met at The Union Jack Club near Waterloo for their annual reunion and dinner.

The barrage balloon was one of the iconic images of the war. On the day World War II broke out, the balloons were ready and flying over London within minutes. The balloons were positioned at strategic target sites across London, filled with hydrogen and let up on a long cable from a winch. They flew at about 6,000 feet, some armed with parachutes and some with parachutes and a bomb. Once an aircraft struck the cable it was almost always brought to a stall position and even if the cable was unarmed, the plane would crash. If the parachutes and bomb deployed, the wing was usually blown off before crashing. The balloon barrage was very good at stopping the enemy bombers from dive-bombing, but once the Luftwaffe realised that their planes would be brought down by balloon cables as they came out of their dive, they stopped such foolhardy attacks. Sites such as power stations had a ring of balloons surrounding them for protection.

The Balloons were flown by two corporals and ten airmen on an around the clock shift basis. In 1940, the idea was floated that balloons could be operated by WAAF's. The Commanding officers contested this idea. However the women of Britain were determined to show they were made of strong stuff! In April 1941, twenty WAAF Balloon Fabric Operators were trained in London. In May 1941, the first batch of WAAF volunteers was posted to a 10 week training course at a balloon centre. Initially, the powers that be, working on the basis that 10 men balloon operators could only be replaced by at least 20 women balloon operators, began to replace men with women in the squadrons. The women rose to the challenge and showed that 14 women were quite capable of replacing 10 men and this was eventually settled as the correct figure. By December 1942, 10,000 men had been replaced by some 15,700 WAAF balloon operators. For those squadrons who went abroad to defend vital installations, the operators were male.

The surviving members shown here with a picture of a barrage balloon, enlisted in WWII, and spent their time out in all weather, and all hours working a regular two hours on, four hours off, on the balloon sites. They needed to be physically fit and expert at splicing ropes of hemp and wire - certainly not a job for dainty hands. One ex-operator, “Midge” Gossett, pictured here wearing her WWII medals, told me that at RAF interview she was told that she might be unable to have any children after working as a balloon operator due to the heavy demands of the work, yet she went on to have five children!!

Balloons could tear easily as they were made from a cotton backed rubberized material and onsite repairs were often made requiring stitching and gluing of a patch. Operators had to use benzene-based solvents and were given extra milk ration to help counter the effects of the chemicals!! In stormy weather barrage balloons were frequently struck by lightning causing discharges to ground along the cable that could be fatal. Enemy bombers who came across a balloon knew that below the balloon was a possible target and were known to jettison bombs over the area. Usually it was practice to keep the barrage balloon hidden in cloud cover.

In 1944 some 2,000 UK barrage balloons were moved south to form a line of air defence to try and counter the V1 rockets or doodlebugs that had begun to attack Britain. The defences needed some tweaking, using fighters, guns and balloons but through the V1 attack barrage balloons accounted for at least 300 of the V1 doodlebugs.

During the war some 400 operators died on active service here and abroad.
The Balloon Barrage Reunion Club (www.bbrclub.org) has a membership of around 100 people which is open to anyone of any age who served in Balloon Command or simply has an interest in the balloon barrage of WWII. The club was formed in 1945 and has had a remarkably continuous run of reunion dinners through the years. Their activities in WWII were very important, I think they are a unique group, the “forgotten few” of Balloon Command whose activities went unsung. They certainly were a fantastic group of people who answered the call in WWII and did their part in giving us the freedom we enjoy today.
Here are the eight veterans of the reunion on Wednesday,
From left to right:
Mary Russel, Hazel Barrow, Marjorie “Midge” Gossett, Eileen Hollidge, Ethel Warren, David Wintle.
Front Row (Sitting ) Ann Aves and Honorary President of BBRC Phyll Wood)