📍 Hidden Sutton Coldfield… Sutton Park’s Secret War Story
During the Second World War, Sutton Park was far more than a place for peaceful walks — it became a top-secret military zone designed to protect Birmingham from German air raids. Hidden within the park’s landscape was a 33-acre Heavy Anti-Aircraft base, built to defend the city during the Blitz. At its height, up to 200 personnel were stationed there — first regular army, later the Home Guard. Though the camp was cleared in the 1950s, traces still remain today, including concrete gun platforms, remnants of roads and possible watchtower foundations. For a short time after the war, parts of the site even housed homeless families, including returning servicemen.
But that wasn’t all. Sutton Park also hosted a Prisoner of War camp near Longmoor Pool, an American military presence near Crown Lane, and civil defence training at Boldmere Gate. A rail-mounted anti-aircraft gun operated near Anchorage Road bridge, while reports suggest soot was even spread across park lakes to prevent moonlight reflections helping enemy bombers navigate. The Home Guard and women’s auxiliary units patrolled the area, and large sections of the park were used for army training and mock battles — all quietly woven into the landscape of the Royal Town, and largely forgotten once peace returned.
We have also turned up this really interesting book by Keith Hopkinson in 2024 on the internet link here
