Watnall and the Battle of Britain myth

Many people still believe that the RAF base at Watnall, the underground Control Room, and Headquarters of Fighter Command 12 Group took part in the most important air battle in history, the Battle of Britain 1940, where the German Luftwaffe attempted to defeat the RAF and then be in a position to force the UK to surrender or leave it open to invasion. Some of the most highly respected books on the subject of the Battle of Britain name Watnall as being the location of 12 Group Headquarters during the battle. In the modern world of online research, several historical research websites list Watnall as the location of the control room for the battle, as do some local historians. So why is this?

RAF Hucknall had been in operation since the First World War. Over time, its role with the RAF changed. It was to become a training centre for flight crews and involved in aircraft repair and research in collaboration with Rolls-Royce, and by 1939, it was the location of the Fighter Command 12 Group Headquarters.

In 1939 it was clear to the RAF that there was going to be a war in the near future. The RAF Fighter Command arranged itself into defensive Fighter Groups. The group covering the middle of England, 12 Group, had its headquarters based at RAF Hucknall under the command of Air Vice Marshal J.L. Trafford Leigh-Mallory DSO. From here, Mallory commanded 12 Group throughout the Battle of Britain, which officially started on the 10th of July 1940, ending on the 31st of October 1940. In 1938 construction had started to create a dedicated location for the 12 Group Headquarters with the new design of a deep below-ground operations room, one also being created for 11 Group in Uxbridge. This underground control room was being constructed nearby at Watnall with the intention of leaving RAF Hucknall free to concentrate on its other roles with the RAF. Although it is hard to pin down an exact date, it is well recorded that the staff of 12 Group Headquarters did not move to the Watnall control room until late 1940, and therefore after the Battle of Britain had finished. Even if the site had been ready before this time, it would have been impractical to make this move during the Battle of Britain itself while the staff were working at full capacity and all of the radio equipment was in constant use. The move was made in late 1940 when it was practical to do so when it was clear to the RAF seniority that the Battle of Britain had run its course. A month after the Battle of Britain had finished, on the 25th of November, Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh Mallory became the new Commander of 11 Group in the south and would have spent little, if any, time at the new operations room at Watnall.

So why do so many people believe that 12 Group was commanded from Watnall during the Battle of Britain? A large part of the answer may be due to misinformation during the fog of war. With historical research, it is the case that the earlier it is compiled and the closer to the event, the less accurate it can be, as not all of the facts are freely available. With the passage of time, it is easier to study all of the facts and make better judgements. Even before the Battle of Britain had finished, the Luftwaffe started their bombing campaign of the UK, commonly known as the Blitz. This ran till May 1941, when the Germans gave up on trying to break the will of the British people and decided to concentrate on the invasion of Russia, thus needing their air force, the Luftwaffe, to move to the east. This overrun creates a blurry line of knowing what the intentions of the Luftwaffe were in the later parts of 1940, by which time the 12 Group Fighter Command was indeed based in Watnall. Air activity by the Luftwaffe remained constant from July 1940 until May 1941. A recorded interview with W.A.F. Mary Elizabeth Harrison, who served in the Operations Room below ground in Watnall, has her recalling the Battle of Britain while serving there. How can this be? Basically, the level of enemy aircraft activity had not let up and was still as intense as during the Battle of Britain. No announcement was made by the Luftwaffe of their intentions, so someone involved in trafficking activity would still see the same right up to May 1941. 

Another reason may simply be word of mouth, or "Chinese whispers". A comment along the lines of "12 Group Fighter Command, they controlled the Midlands during the Battle of Britain, and now they are in Watnall" can be abbreviated for convenience to "12 Group Fighter Command, they controlled the Midlands during the Battle of Britain in Watnall." Furthermore, the convenience of not needing to explain the transition from Hucknall to Watnall may play a part. It's simply more convenient. For most of the war, 12 Group Fighter Command was indeed at Watnall. When writing about the history of WW2, it may have been easier for some to just reference Watnall as being the overall location of 12 Group Fighter Command when writing about the history of the Battle of Britain. Another contributing factor is wartime secrecy. No public announcement would have been made during the Battle of Britain; 12 Group Headquarters was in Hucknall, but as the war progressed, it would have become known that there was a dedicated underground control room in Watnall, just as there was in Uxbridge, and the inevitable link to the two, and the now legendary story of the Battle of Britain, became intertwined. It may have just become convenient to say "12 Group Fighter Command", "the Battle of Britain", and "Watnall" in the same sentence without having to explain the RAF Hucknall reality. 

Even some of the most highly respected books on the subject of the Battle of Britain name Watnall as the location of 12 Group Fighter Command Headquarters. The famous author of fiction and historical research, Len Deighton, in his 1980 publication, "Battle of Britain", has a map showing the Fighter Command Headquarters by area. It states, "Watnall 12HQ", and links to an image of Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh Mallory. No other mention of Watnall or Hucknall in the text of the book. The most comprehensive study of the Battle of Britain ever compiled would have to be "The Battle of Britain Then and Now". A study so complete it covers every single aircraft action during the battle, hour by hour, day by day. Compiled in the early 1980s, this book attributes Watnall as being the Battle of Britain location for 12 Group Headquarters and even sent someone to photograph the last piece still above ground in 1980, which is now the operations room doorway, which remains now in the grounds of the Watnall HGV testing station. 

So why does this misconception matter? Should anyone really care? It was all a very long time ago. Some believe that facts should matter. If there is any credit to be claimed for being the location of 12 Group Headquarters during the Battle of Britain, then that credit rightfully belongs to Hucknall, where it actually happened. That said, the overall role of 12 Group Headquarters during the Battle of Britain was not that significant to the battle itself, which was mostly based in the south and the responsibility of 11 Group. Also, some may say that the importance of RAF Watnall and its role as the location of 12 Group Headquarters was important enough in its own right throughout the remaining five years of war, without needing to be falsely attributed to the Battle of Britain connection. Not the location of 12 Group Headquarters during the Battle of Britain, but the location of 12 Group Headquarters during the Blitz campaign, and then all enemy air activity over the 12 Group area for the remainder of the war. From late 1940 until December 1946, the location of 12 Group Headquarters. From there, it was active well into the Cold War, not being decommissioned until 1961. Also the location of the Headquarters of the Polish Resettlement Corps in May 1947, having moved from RAF Hucknall, which was a training centre and location for the exiled Polish Air Force during the war, the brave Polish exiles who served with the RAF throughout the war who were then unable to return to their homeland spent time at Watnall before going on to their lives as civilians in the UK. If there is a point to be made in this narrative, it is that many people worked at RAF Watnall throughout the war and beyond. So many brave women in the WRAF were located there for the war years, sacrificing their time and their younger years for the defence of the nation. There does not need to be any misplaced Battle of Britain attribution. What the RAF personnel did in Watnall from 1940 until 1961 is enough for Watnall to be immensely proud of today.




 









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