Barrage Balloons

During World War Two Gosport had 24 balloons manned by 933 Barrage Balloon Squadron Auxiliary Air Force in three flights of eight balloons each.

Known sites:
Line 1

  • Hardway
  • Outside Fort Brockhurst
  • Fort Rowner
  • Fort Grange
  • Fort Gomer

Line 2

  • St Vincent Playing field
  • Ann’s Hill Cemetery
  • No.10 Privett Road

Line 3

  • Walpole Park
  • Blockhouse field
  • Fort Gilkicker
  • School of Electric Lighting
  • No.5 Battery
  • Palmerston Way
  • No.6 Gosport Park

There were also balloons at
No.12 Junction of Avery Lane and Welch Road
No.17 Junction of Brewers Lane and Wych Lane
No.18 Wych Lane
No. 20 Fleetlands Farm Gosport Road During World War

If you know of any more then please inform the webmaster.

A tragic event occurred on 12 August 1940 when the balloon site at St Vincent was hit during an air raid. Ten men from the AAF and two civilian groundsmen were killed.

BOMB DAMAGE IN GOSPORT, HAMPSHIRE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR
BOMB DAMAGE IN GOSPORT, HAMPSHIRE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR © IWM (MH 154)

This photograph is of the balloon site in bombed out buildings at Beach Street Gosport

Beach Street Barrage Balloon site

Beach Street Barrage Balloon site

In December 1944 Gosport Borough Council Minutes reported that they had been sent a list of redundant barrage balloon sites in Gosport. After an inspection by the Borough Engineer the sites were accepted to be requisitioned and only the ones with wooden huts were to be converted into temporary housing. The ones with Nissen Huts were considered as not suitable. The huts were to be adapted to provide cooking, washing and lavatory facilities.

Requisitioned Balloon sites 1944

Requisitioned Balloon sites 1944