Battle of Britain Bunker

The Battle of Britain Bunker is an underground operations room at RAF Uxbridge, formerly used by No. 11 Group Fighter Command and Air Defence of Great Britain during the Second World War. Fighter aircraft operations were controlled from there throughout the War but most notably during the Battle of Britain and on D-Day. Today it is run by the Royal Air Force as a Force Development asset, but can also be visited by the general public as a heritage attraction with attached museum.

The Bunker is located at RAF Uxbridge, not far from Uxbridge town centre and Uxbridge underground station.

History of the Battle of Britain Bunker

Construction

Following excavations in late 1938, the Bunker was constructed between February and August 1939 with the express intention of housing the No.11 Group (Fighter Command) Operations Room. Their previous Operations Room had been in an above ground building at RAF Uxbridge, but following the Munich Crisis of September 1938 and with the spectre of war on the horizon, the RAF began work on a protected underground alternative. The Bunker was built by McAlpines, a civilian company, but its construction was to remain top secret to avoid the plans falling into enemy hands.

The floor of the Bunker is located 60ft below ground and is accessed by a staircase of over 70 steps. All utilities into and out of the building - electricity, water, telephone lines, sewage - are carried along pipes down this staircase. The walls, floor and ceiling are approximately 1 metre thick and are made of concrete with waterproof lining. The solid concrete walls and the approximately 30ft of earth above the Bunker's ceiling meant that no bomb of the period could penetrate it.

A ventilation and air filtration system was installed to provide an air supply to the Operations Room staff. The "forced air" system had the additional benefit of creating greater atmospheric pressure inside the bunker to outside, meaning that gas could not penetrate the building in the event of a chemical attack.

The bunker finally became operational on 25th August 1939, just 10 days before the outbreak of the Second World War on 3rd September.