Baloons and AA gun sites around the Humber

Humber Balloon Barrage

The defences were controlled from the RAF Sector Op’s Room at Kirton Lindsey. ‘A Yellow Alert signal was issued when E/A were detected by Radar and the barrage balloons were prepared for use. Often they were raised to a height of 100 feet. If the E/A was detected as heading towards the Humber the balloons would be raised to a height of 4,000 ft and a Red Alert would be issued. Once E/A had left the area a White Alert would be issued.

The Balloon Unit of the AAF was raised in 1/39 and consisted of 942, 943 and 944 (E Riding) Balloon Sqns and they were based upon RAF Sutton on Hull. The HQ was based at Campbell Str., Hull. In 9/39 the unit boasted only 6 balloons, by July 1940 it had raised this to 74 balloons (some 24 being waterborne). In January 1942, 942 and 943 were amalgamated to form 942/3 Squadron and 944 was disbanded. During that year more than half the workforce were replaced by WAAFs. The unit’s last log entry was during August 1944 and soon after the unit was disbanded.

Balloons were based in North and North-East Lincolnshire; the ‘F’ Flight HQ was based at East Halton on the town side. The ‘G’ Flight HQ was based in Grimsby and balloons were based around Immingham (Skitter Road) and to the east of the Admiralty Oil Tanks near Immingham, Chase Hill Farm and Brickyard Lane plus Brickyard Lane East. A lot of the ‘floating barrage balloons were raised on vessels in the Humber, close to Sunk Island.

HAA sites were located across the area; Site H8 was located to the east of Scunthorpe, at Mere Farm, near Winterton and to the north of the current A1077. It was one of a dozen sites which protected Scunthorpe and they were part of No.10 AA Division. The Winterton site was often left unmanned and was completely empty by the end of November 1941, despite the fact that it had been in receipt of four mobile 3.7in guns earlier in the year. By the middle of 1942, only two of the AA sites were still armed and operating. By July 12944 the last of the sites had been vacated (the units had been deployed nearer the East coast on anti-Diver (V.1) duties). Traces of the sites can still be found; the buildings were often brick built with a concrete roof. They had sufficient space to accommodate four heavy gun emplacements, shelters and hutting for the crews and a semi-buried command post. Post war many of the sites were taken over as accommodation for PoWs (German and Italian).

Searchlight sites were also established across the area. The site at Belton (41 Searchlight Battery) was manned by 316 Searchlight Battalion. It had one 150cm light (with sound locator) and five 90cm lights. The sites also had provision for a ‘predictor’ and a light machine gun position. Plus of course there was hutted accommodation for the crews. Alkborough had three searchlight batteries. One was just to the west of Whitton and was manned by 323 Searchlight Battery and during 1941 was considered part of the defence of the Humber Estuary.

The AA Gun teams, within the Humber Gun Zone, were often in action against E/A. Their HQ appears to have been at Wenlock Barracks in Hull and came under the command of 39 Brigade. In November 1940 the new 10 AA Division was established and under its control was 39 AA Battery, which would be responsible for the defence of the Humber Estuary and Scunthorpe. 109 LAA Battery was based at Kirton Lindsey; 110 at Scunthorpe and 111 at Immingham. Two Rocket Projector Batteries (including 121 ‘Z’ Battery) had bases at Hibaldstow and New Holland and came under the control of 2 AA ‘Z’ Regt. (The rocket was a 3in (76 mm) weapon, known as the UP.3 and it had been developed at Fort Halstead in Kent, in the 1930’s. It was solid fuelled, had a high explosive warhead, which was activated by a photoelectric proximity fuse). Once ‘projected’, it was propelled by cordite (solvent free). By 1944 over one million of the rockets had been made. At first the army manned the ‘projectors’, but later (in `1942) the role was taken on by the Home Guard. The rockets would usually be launched in a ‘ripple’ (up to 30 plus).

John Rennison 10/2020