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Summary

A kite-balloon station to detect enemy submarines was established near the south fort at Berry Head in July 1918. The base was short-lived, closing in December 1918.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Tide Project: 02/09/2022

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• OBSERVATION POST (World War I - 1918 AD to 1918 AD)

Full description

Binnie, J. S., 1918, An Appreciation (Article in Serial). SDV363870.

Poem saying thank you to Brixham, written by an airman based at the balloon-kite station.

The War Illustrated, 1918, Eyes of the artillery (Illustration). SDV363871.

Front page of The War Illustrated, 8th June 1918, showing a First World War Kit-balloon observer with his parachute. In an emergency the airmen could simply jump out of the balloon's basket.

Royal Air Force, 1918, Kite-balloon at Berry Head (Photograph). SDV363869.

Photograph of the kite-balloon at Berry Head in 1918. Start Point is in the background.

Pye, A.R., 1989, Berry Head Fort, Brixham. An Archaeological Assessment, 13 (Report - Assessment). SDV362497.

There was apparently an Observation Balloon on Berry Head during the First World War, manned by the Royal Flying Corps.

Wasley, G., 2000, Devon in the Great War, 126 (Monograph). SDV363868.

The RAF compulsory purchased land at the Old Fort on Berry Head in July 1918 in order to establish a kite observation station there. Experiments with a C-Class submarine from Dartmouth were carried out to see how far from Berry Head a submarine could keep up a diving patrol before being detected.

Brixham Museum, 2010?, RAF Brixham Kite-Balloon Station Interpretation Panel (Un-published). SDV363866.

A kite-balloon base was set up at Berry Head in July 1918 in order to detect German U-boats which were destroying fishing boats and other shipping. The base, which was situated by the south fort, was manned by 60 officers and men.
A tethered hydrogen-filled balloon, with a two man crew, was flown to a height of 1,200 metres. If any enemy submarines were spotted the RAF seaplane station at Torquay and the Royal Navy at Plymouth were alerted.
The balloon station was not open for long, closing in December 1918.

Passmore, M., 2013, The Royal Air Force in Devon. An Interim Gazetteer, 1 (Leaflet). SDV363867.

A seaplane station and a kite balloon site were established at the harbour in 1918 and a
kite observation station at Berry Head.

Brixham Heritage Museum, 2014, Brixham in the Great War (Pamphlet). SDV364155.

There was an balloon observation station in the fort on Berry Head. Airmen went up in an open basket under the balloon to look our for enemy shipping; the balloon was tethered to the ground by a long rope. Anything spotted was reported to Royal Naval ships at Dartmouth which could then sail to intercept.
Ten of the Berry Head airmen are recorded as becoming very ill with Spanish flu in October 1918 and were sent to Brixham Cottage Hospital, passing the disease onto staff there. In the town, local schools and the cinema were closed to help prevent the spread of the disease.

Horner, B., 2020, RAF Kite-balloon station at Berry Head 1918 (Un-published). SDV363872.

Notes from various sources on the history of Berry Head RAF Air Station. The Royal Air Force was formed on 1st April 1918 from a merging of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. The south-west of England came under the command of No. 9 Group based at Mount West, Devonport.
By May 1918 there was an RAF seaplane station operational at Beacon Quay and a kite-balloon sub-station at Merrifield, Torpoint. The kite-balloon observation post was established at Berry Head in July 1918.
Enemy submarines or mine-laying ships could be detected and identified from the observers in the kite-balloon. The positions of any such vessels could then be reported to Devonport and warships despatched to destroy them. Experiments were conducted in varying weather and visibility conditions to test at what disance a Royal Navy submarine from Dartmouth could keep up a diving patrol without detection.
Keeping such a close watch on the activities of German U-boats was essential to protect vessels leaving and returning to Brixham harbour.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV362497	Report - Assessment: Pye, A.R.. 1989. Berry Head Fort, Brixham. An Archaeological Assessment. Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit. EMAFU 89.04. Hardcopy + Digital. 13.
	Linked documents:1
SDV363866	Un-published: Brixham Museum. 2010?. RAF Brixham Kite-Balloon Station Interpretation Panel. Digital. [Mapped feature: #127010 Map object approximate based on this source, ]
SDV363867	Leaflet: Passmore, M.. 2013. The Royal Air Force in Devon. An Interim Gazetteer. Digital. 1.
SDV363868	Monograph: Wasley, G.. 2000. Devon in the Great War. Devon in the Great War. Unknown. 126.
SDV363869	Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1918. Kite-balloon at Berry Head. Digital.
SDV363870	Article in Serial: Binnie, J. S.. 1918. An Appreciation. The Brixham Western Guardian Newspaper. Digital.
SDV363871	Illustration: The War Illustrated. 1918. Eyes of the artillery. Digital.
SDV363872	Un-published: Horner, B.. 2020. RAF Kite-balloon station at Berry Head 1918. Digital.
SDV364155	Pamphlet: Brixham Heritage Museum. 2014. Brixham in the Great War. Digital.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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