No1 Balloon Centre Book and Memorial Information

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NOTE: This book, No 1 Balloon Centre, Kidbrooke,  is now published and is available on-line from many distributors world wide. Search a browser using its title.

  There will eventually be an unveiling of the RAeS plaque at the Depot Pub in Kidbrooke, S.E. London. The date is not yet set. A mailing list has been created. The organiser of the event is Peter Garwood, Secretary, Barrage Balloon Renunion Club. If you are interested in attending, let him know soon at:   pgarwood@globalnet.co.uk 

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This page provides information on a book about the London, No 1 Balloon Centre of RAF Command at RAF Kidbrooke in WW2. It also covers the development of permanent memorials to those that flew barrage balloons to spoil the accuracy of German bombers. It is to be published in support of memorials to be erected in Kidbrooke. 

Cpl Henry Sydenham, the author's father, was a Balloon Operator there. This author is the last known living link to a serving person serving at the No 1 Balloon Centre. Henry miraculously survived a direct hit by a V1 bomb on his hut in June 1944; he was the only person to not be killed of the 10 in that hut at the time.

• Chapter 1.    Emergent Years of Balloons in War use. 
• Chapter 2     Birth of Balloon Command.
• Chapter 3     Use of RAF Kidbrooke Over its Life. 
• Chapter 4     Balloons Become an RAF Command.
• Chapter 5     Make-up and Roles of a Balloon Centre. 
• Chapter 6     Squadron 992 on the Move.
• Chapter 7     Learning the Ropes.
• Chapter 8     From Operations Record Books.  
• Chapter 9     Sacrifice at No 1 Balloon Centre. 
• Chapter 10   RAF Kidbrooke after the War.
• Chapter 11   Roll of Honour for No 1 Balloon Centre. 
• Chapter 12   Memorials to Balloon Command operations
• Appreciations and Acknowledgements. 
• About the Author. 
• List of Illustrations. 
• Index.

The memorial project began in 2013. Having decided a erect a memorial to those who gave their lives in service in WW2, the task was to locate a place where it would be seen by the public.

In 2019 the owners and staff of the Thomas Tallis School agreed to a potential school site seen from the footpath in Kidbrooke Park Road. London, SE3 9PX, the school having been built on part of the former RAF Kidbrooke base land.. 

A design competition was set up at the school.  It ended in April 2022. 

The colourful winning design was announced and exhibited at the 50th Celebrations of the School held on 15 July 2022. However, a better approach to make it now appears to be to find an indoor school location that will allow the intense colour and 3D parts to be made at low cost. 

The RAeS Heritage Award has been granted to the 

commemorate the Centre. Funding for the plaque is now secure and it has been cast.

It is best placed somewhere on the large former RAF Kidbrooke site, at some spot where it can be embedded into an inside wall. The Depot Pub in Kidbrooke Village, is built where barrage balloons were stored on the base during WW2. Permission to place it there has been given by Youngs Brewery.

Sadly  in May 2024 the RAeS required a new submission to be lodged as I had needed to move the site from the School road way, to inside the Depot  Pub. 

The RAeS  plaque shown  below is now installed at the Depot Pub  in Kidbrooke. Send your email address to sydenham@senet.com.au to be sure of getting details of the unveiling  event.