The Battle of Britain Bunker Exhibition and Visitor Centre - Uxbridge - London
April 22 2023 | Tagged: United Kingdom
I take the opportunity to go underground again, visiting The Battle of Britain Bunker Exhibition and Visitor Centre in Uxbridge.
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The Battle of Britain Bunker was the home of RAF Fighter Command's No.11 Group Operations Room during the Second World War, the room from which the Battle of Britain was coordinated.
In response to the growing threat from Nazi Germany, RAF Fighter Command had already been established back in July 1936 under the leadership of Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding who had considered building an underground operations room as early as 1936.
The construction of the Bunker at Uxbridge, which is 18 meters below the surface began in February 1939 and was completed just 10 days before the outbreak of WWII.
World War II started on 1 September 1939 beginning with the German invasion of Poland and the United Kingdom and France's declaration of war on Germany two days later on 3 September 1939.
The war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, though many say that the official end date was on 2 September 1945 with the formal surrender of Japan.
The Battle of Britain was the first major air campaign of World War II, fought largely above London and the South East from July 1940 to September 1940.
Following Dunkirk and the Fall of France, Hitler had hoped to bring the war to a quick end with the invasion of Britain.
But for the invasion, codenamed Operation ‘Sealion’ to have any chance of success, the Germans first had to secure control of the skies over southern England and remove the threat posed by the Royal Air Force.
They began by attacking coastal targets and shipping operating in the English Channel. Then they started attacking airfields and communication centres.
But the Germans underestimated the damage it was inflicting. In thinking they had broken the RAF, on September 7, 1940, they switched to targeting London. Whilst the raids had a devastating effect, they gave the RAF a bit of breathing space and they regrouped.
On September 15, 1940, Fighter Command repelled yet another massive attack.
The Luftwaffe was experiencing severe losses and these were unsustainable. The chances of a Summer invasion of Britain ran out. They had failed to take control of the skies.
The Battle of Britain was over.
Read further: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/8-important-dates-in-the-battle-of-britain
The war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, though many say that the official end date was on 2 September 1945 with the formal surrender of Japan.
The Battle of Britain was the first major air campaign of World War II, fought largely above London and the South East from July 1940 to September 1940.
Following Dunkirk and the Fall of France, Hitler had hoped to bring the war to a quick end with the invasion of Britain.
But for the invasion, codenamed Operation ‘Sealion’ to have any chance of success, the Germans first had to secure control of the skies over southern England and remove the threat posed by the Royal Air Force.
They began by attacking coastal targets and shipping operating in the English Channel. Then they started attacking airfields and communication centres.
But the Germans underestimated the damage it was inflicting. In thinking they had broken the RAF, on September 7, 1940, they switched to targeting London. Whilst the raids had a devastating effect, they gave the RAF a bit of breathing space and they regrouped.
On September 15, 1940, Fighter Command repelled yet another massive attack.
The Luftwaffe was experiencing severe losses and these were unsustainable. The chances of a Summer invasion of Britain ran out. They had failed to take control of the skies.
The Battle of Britain was over.
Read further: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/8-important-dates-in-the-battle-of-britain
The Battle of Britain Bunker was home to RAF Fighter Command's No. 11 Group, which was responsible for defending southeast England from attacks by the Luftwaffe throughout the war.
The Operations Room is a series of rooms 60 feet (18 metres) underground accessible via 76 steps.
The Operations Room is a series of rooms 60 feet (18 metres) underground accessible via 76 steps.
The bunker was part of an air defence system developed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding known as The Dowding System.
Dowding brought together the RAF, ground defences and the latest in radar technology to create a single coordinated defence system. And the bunker was at the centre of the whole operation.
Under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, No. 11 Group shot down more than 1,000 German aircraft during the Battle of Britain, each one having been controlled from the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge.
Exactly how Fighter Command managed to defeat the Luftwaffe in the skies above Britain from a Bunker in Uxbridge is extremely complex and I feel beyond the scope of this blog so if you are interested in the Second World War and the Battle of Britain, I highly recommend that you visit soon.
The Bunker tour lasts for more than an hour. My guide was extremely knowledgable, enthusiastic and passionate about the goings on at the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge during World War II and even if it doesn't class itself a museum as such, even though technically that's what it is, I am willing to go so far as to say it is the best museum I have ever visited.
Entrance to the bunker:
Dowding brought together the RAF, ground defences and the latest in radar technology to create a single coordinated defence system. And the bunker was at the centre of the whole operation.
Under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, No. 11 Group shot down more than 1,000 German aircraft during the Battle of Britain, each one having been controlled from the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge.
Exactly how Fighter Command managed to defeat the Luftwaffe in the skies above Britain from a Bunker in Uxbridge is extremely complex and I feel beyond the scope of this blog so if you are interested in the Second World War and the Battle of Britain, I highly recommend that you visit soon.
The Bunker tour lasts for more than an hour. My guide was extremely knowledgable, enthusiastic and passionate about the goings on at the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge during World War II and even if it doesn't class itself a museum as such, even though technically that's what it is, I am willing to go so far as to say it is the best museum I have ever visited.
Entrance to the bunker:
The Guard Room:
The Operations Room:
Churchill's famous phrase about the Battle of Britain was first spoken following one of his visits to the bunker in August 1940:
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few
Where is the Battle of Britain Bunker Museum?
The easiest way to get to the Battle of Britain Bunker Museum from Central London is to take the Tube to Uxbridge and then walk 20 minutes.
I had to get there from Milton Keynes and this involved getting a bus to Luton, another to Finchley Road and then the Underground to Uxbridge.
I was on my way to Scotland where I eventually visited Scotland's Secret Nuclear Command Bunker in Fife and I backpacked the Battle of Britain Bunker with all my stuff.
Official website: Battle of Britain Bunker
I had to get there from Milton Keynes and this involved getting a bus to Luton, another to Finchley Road and then the Underground to Uxbridge.
I was on my way to Scotland where I eventually visited Scotland's Secret Nuclear Command Bunker in Fife and I backpacked the Battle of Britain Bunker with all my stuff.
Official website: Battle of Britain Bunker
Admission Fees Visitor Centre and Bunker
Under-16: FREE
Defence Discount Service cardholders: FREE
Hillingdon First cardholders: 50% Discount (one card per visitor)
Adults: £12
Over 65s: £9.50
Defence Discount Service cardholders: FREE
Hillingdon First cardholders: 50% Discount (one card per visitor)
Adults: £12
Over 65s: £9.50
Admission Fees Visitor Centre Only
For those unable/not wishing to visit the 1940s Bunker
Under-16: FREE
Defence Discount Service cardholders: FREE
Hillingdon First cardholders: 50% Discount (one card per visitor)
Adults: £7
Over 65s: £5.50
Under-16: FREE
Defence Discount Service cardholders: FREE
Hillingdon First cardholders: 50% Discount (one card per visitor)
Adults: £7
Over 65s: £5.50
Bunker Tours
You can only visit the bunker as part of one of the scheduled tours which you can book online but I just turned up, well in time for the 2 pm tour and toured the visitors centre. Tours last about an hour.