North Queensferry Barrage Balloons – 6

Danger to operators

 
There were also dangers for the balloon crew. Shrapnel, yawing, mechanical failure, defective cable, fabric porosity, human error, human culpability and the elements displaying their natural waywardness all tended to make service life a series of unpredictable events.

One could never claim, with any confidence, to understand the motivation of the amply-proportioned prima donnas.

26th November 1939 was a windy day which brought several problems.

00:33 hours: Site 11 (Preston Crescent) LZC 2073 had two of its ton patches torn off in the gale. Deflated.

02:10 hours: Site 16 (Ferrybarns) LZC 1447 had ton patch torn off. Balloon torn in half during subsequent deflation.

02:30 hours: Site 10 (Spencerfield) LZC 1595 damaged and torn in gale. Severely damaged during deflation.

02:38 hours: Site 13 (Ferryhills) LZC 2040 ripped: ton patches strained; Bakelite valve broken; balloon deflated.

02:50 hours: Sites 15 (Carlingnose Quarry) LZC 2026 ton patches torn; balloon deflated.
(A ton patch is where the guy lines are attached to the balloon and are so named because they had a breaking strain of one ton (1000kg))

Sites 8 (Castlandhill Road) and 14 (Welldean) had already ceased to be operational following similar weather conditions four days previously.

On 29th November 1939, balloon LZ 345 at Spencerfield went out of control at 2,500 feet. Breaking free, it went off trailing 1,000 feet of steel cable and entered Donibristle air space. It there tangled with an operational balloon on ‘C’ Flight’s site 7, which in turn broke loose. Both balloons then headed off in a north-easterly direction.

On May 15th 1940, an unexpected thunderstorm caused the balloons at Carlingnose Quarry and Ferrybarns to burst into flames. The Ferrybarns balloon with 90 feet of steel cable heeled across power lines but had little effect on public services. However the Carlingnose balloon trailing 500 feet of cable fell across a passenger train travelling along the northern approach of the Forth Bridge to North Queensferry station. The burning fabric of the balloon was dragged onto the roof of the rear carriage, which began to burn. Fortunately there was only superficial damage to the coach and none of the passengers experienced any ill effects.

On 7th February 1941, seven balloons broke away at varying heights in the course of a gale gusting to 85 mph. At site 15 (Carlingnose Quarry) the balloon with 2,000 feet of cable attached dragged the winch vehicle to the cliff edge and dropped it onto the stony beach 75 feet below. The winch driver leapt clear seconds before the plunge.

Site 8 (Seggburn).  High winds lifted the winch-truck to the edge of the field.
The balloon is deflating in the trees top right (out of shot).