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| Artist's impression of the Operations Room, like the one deep below Watnall's HGV test station, which displayed "filtered" radar information on large tables. The data came from the nearby Filter Room bunker made famous in TV's Restoration Man. |
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| Sir Lancelot's family at his 175th birthday event |
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| RAF Watnall's WW2 "Special Duties Clerks" |
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| The 5 min Sector Clock ensured all information was up to date |
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| Is "WAAF Elma Rolleston" amongst these WW2 WAAF girls? |
Watnall's fighter stations were Duxford, Coltishall (with Douglas Bader in charge of one squadron), Wittering, Digby, Kirton-in-Lindsey, and Church Fenton. Radio and landline links from Watnall existed to each of these stations and every Radar and Observer Corps unit within the Group boundaries. Additionally, the Watnall Group HQ was linked into the main Defence Telephone and Teleprinter network with direct lines to the Air Ministry, Fighter Command HQ, Bomber Command HQ, Coastal Command HQ, and all the other groups in Fighter Command.
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| Observer Corps spotters telephoned directly to the Filter Room |
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| Filter Block as familiar from "Restoration Man" TV makeover Operations Room is now flooded out 60' below Watnall's HGV Testing Station |
Elma's war record says she joined the WAAF "In Gloucester sometime after February 1941" and in March 1943 she gained seniority and her rank was "War Substantive Section Officer" in the "Administrative and Special Duties Branch".
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| Primitive 1940s radar stations linked to Watnall by GPO telephone |
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| The frenetic activity of the Filter Room where incoming radar and Observer Corps information was collected and organised |
You can watch a film of the frenetic Filter Room action by clicking here or listen to interviews with two WAAFs who served in the Ops and Filter Rooms at Watnall during the war. One a farrmer's daughter from nearby Derbyshire by clicking here and the other a London socialite clicking here. They are fascinating accounts of life in war-time Watnall. For a fuller explanation of the Filter Room keep reading Eileen Younghusband first hand account below...
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| Elma Rolleston's mother Fanny Lillian was buried at Watnall Hall's graveyard in 1957 |
Clerk Special Duties
The vital role of "Clerk Special Duties" is explored in detail in this excellent and revealing article by Eileen Younghusband who worked as a Filter Room officer in WW2. The comments at the end are from another Filter Room WAAF, Irene White, who worked at Watnall...
TOP SECRET - The Filter Room by Eileen Younghusband
"Must be under twenty-one years of age, with quick reactions, good at figures - and female". These were the prerequisites for members of the WAAF seeking to work as plotters or Filter Officers in the Filter Room. I had the privilege of serving with this special group.
This secret section of the RAF's defence programme in World War Two has never been given the recognition it deserves. Nevertheless, it was one of the greatest aids to protection of Britain and to our air operations of the whole war.
The reason few people today have heard about this is the extreme secrecy which the personnel maintained about their work and its importance. Only in recent years have the restrictions been lifted and wartime members of this close group been freed from the silence imposed upon them.
The work done by the airwomen plotters of the Filter Room, the Movement Liaison Officers and the Filterer Officers who were responsible for calculating and rectifying the position, and identifying the hundreds of tracks of hostile and friendly aircraft leaving and approaching the coasts of the British Isles, was vital.
It is time that their valuable contribution to the battle in the air be recognised. The Filter Room was the nerve centre of the Radar system. It received information from the many Radar stations which formed a chain of protection around our coasts. This information, due to the early primitive forms of detection equipment and the possible human error of its operators, needed to be instantly corrected, co-ordinated and displayed on a huge map table of the area concerned, in a form suitable to be passed on to the Operations Rooms.
Without this essential link, the Radar information at that time could not have been used.
The cleaned-up (or filtered) information we have all seen in many films where WAAF Operations Room plotters move coloured arrows around a map table, using a long pole-like contraption. It always appears so peaceful and bears no relation to the hectic activity occurring in the Filter Room.
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| The huge map displaying filtered radar information in the Operations Room possibly at RAF Bentley Priory |
From this information, orders were given by the Senior Officers observing from the gallery above the Ops table, for air raid warnings to be sounded in threatened areas, fighter squadrons to be scrambled, incoming hostile aircraft be intercepted and returning bomber aircraft in difficulties monitored. This allowed air-sea rescue boats to be directed to their assistance, should they ditch. The ack-ack gun sites, Observer Corps and barrage Balloon stations also relied on this information.
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Personnel had two fifteen minute periods when possible during the watch for a refreshment break. The food available varied considerably. Sandwiches of marmite and raw cabbage were offered throughout the night watch for weeks on end at one particular station! Working conditions were often difficult and unpleasant. Many of the centres were underground where ventilation and heating left much to be desired.
The pressure of work depended upon the amount of aircraft activity and also the region involved. Naturally the northern areas were not as busy as the Filter Rooms covering the coast from the Wash to the Isle of Wight, (11 Group), and the Isle of Wight to Wales (10 Group). The weather too was a key factor in the activity to be expected so meteorological advices were posted constantly.
The requirement for the Filterer Officers to have quick reactions was patently obvious. They had to sort out the correct position of the aircraft from the various overlapping Radar station plots which covered the same aircraft responses. In addition they were required to estimate both height and number of aircraft, as well as direction from information given. For this to be successful, they needed an intimate knowledge of the siting of the Radar stations in order to judge the accuracy of their information.
All of this had to be done with great speed as the aircraft themselves were constantly moving on to new positions. It was found that male Filterers, mostly well over thirty years of age were far too slow during periods of intense activity and they had to be removed from the table!
For the displayed information to be of value to the Operations Room, it had to be as up-to-date as possible. This meant that in times of the greatest activity, a Filterer Officer must estimate and display salient information on up to fifty different tracks within a minute. The mental stress and physical strain were intense under these conditions and when the personnel came off watch, whether officer or airwoman, tension was invariably high. Throughout the meal supplied when coming off duty, the atmosphere was almost hysterical as they gradually unwound. Quite often however tired, sleep was impossible.
On the whole, it was amazing how few buckled under the strain. They all realised the importance of their work and it took a really major illness to prevent them from appearing for duty. However, subsequently, time has taken its toll of some amongst that small group. There have been instances of suicide, of recourse to alcohol in later years and bouts of deep depression. This is not to be wondered at when one considers that whilst filtering the tracks of the bomber squadrons on operations over Germany or plotting fighter sorties against incoming hostiles, these young women knew that their own husbands or sweethearts were amongst the aircrews. They would count with trepidation the numbers of the returning Allied aircraft.
The mixture of backgrounds amongst the members of the Filter Room officers was amazing. Most of the senior male officer hailed from the Stock Market where they worked as jobbers and brokers. It was an inspiration on the part of the RAF to choose these men for the positions as Controllers and Movement Liaison Officers.
All personnel involved had to have quick reactions, mathematical ability and have lasting energy. The women chosen ranged from psychology and science students, young actresses, county debutantes, grammar school high flyers to daughters of famous people - novelists, painters, musicians and vicars. But they were without exception dedicated to their work. Many friendships were forged under these conditions and remain close until today.
Now the strictures of secrecy have been lifted, it is surely right that their dedication should be recorded. The importance of their work in the defence of Britain together with their contribution to the successful invasion of Europe and the ultimate overthrow of Hiter's forces should be made known.
Message 1 - Filter plotters
Posted on: 04 June 2005 by witnessirenee
Thank you for jogging my memory about Filter plotting. I was a plotter at Watnall Nr Nottingham. We may not have been in the "thick of it " all the time but I remember some very hectic nights, worrying too if we plotted Hostile aircraft moving towards my home town of Hull. No quick phone calls home to see if all was well! I have written a short message on my personal page but have not had a response from anyone who was at Watnall. i made some good friends at the time but after the war we all got on with our lives and lost touch. As I was one of the youngest in Raf hut 9 and i am now 80 I suppose a lot of my room mates have passed on.
I was Irene White.
About the contributor
witnessirenee
User ID: U1148359
Iwas seventeen when I joined the Waafs. I certainly didn't ask to be a plotter- no one had heard of them at that time. I was enroled as Clerk special duties and went to Gloucester and Compton Bassett first for training and then spent the rest of my time at Watnall Nr Nottingham. We worked 3 "watches", mornings afternoon and nights. I seem to remember liking nights best because we could have an hour or two to sleep, sneak out of camp, go for morning coffee, afternoon tea dance and then on to the evening dance at the Palais. We would then get back to camp, wash and maybe shut our eyes for half an hour ready for the night shift again. Where DID we get the energy? There were (I think) about twenty of us in Raf hut 9. Is it possible we got by without any arguments? I don't remember any.
Great Memories!
Irene White (at that time)
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| Sept 1940 - Squadron Leader Douglas Bader (front centre) with mostly Canadian pilots of his No. 242 Squadron grouped around his Hurricane at Duxford, one of RAF Watnall's airbases |
You can read more tales about RAF Watnall and the secret bunkers here...
An "American" Spitfire over RAF Watnall? Ya betta believe it buddy!
Notes and sources:
Dowding System - Named after Fighter Command’s Commander-in-Chief Sir Hugh Dowding, the Dowding System was developed to bring radar technology, ground defences and fighter aircraft together into a combined defence system. This system not only controlled the fighter force but also the searchlights, anti-aircraft guns and barrage balloons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowding_system
Dowding System - Force's TV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OKmS7DsxeU&t=2s&ab_channel=ForcesNews
RAF Watnall map
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.7&lat=53.00691&lon=-1.25587&layers=193&b=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Watnall
Imperial War Museum (IWM) - Elton, Patricia (Oral history) - British leading aircraftwoman served with Women's Auxiliary Air Force in GB, 1941-1945
Content description
REEL 1: Background in London, 1939-1940: memory of outbreak of war, 9/1939; family; memory of air raids; reason for joining Women's Auxiliary Air Force, 1941. Aspects of training with Women's Auxiliary Air Force in GB, 1941: story of journey to Innsworth camp, Gloucester; clothing; washing and sanitary facilities; problem of homesickness; opinion of other recruits; description of uniform and kit; posted to Morecambe, Lancashire for basic training; drill; amusing story of sergeant; opinion of billets; role training new recruits; problem of recruits absconding; social life and recreational activities; memory of buying uniform; remustered as Clerk Special Duties; posted to RAF Digby, Lincoln; description of Operations room; duties on Ops A watch and liaison with Q sites; social life and recreational activities; accommodation and living conditions; problem of appendix; posted to Group HQ, RAF Watnall, Nottingham; description of duties. REEL 2 Continues: living conditions; story of posting to RAF Stanmore; description of duties with Fighter Command Movement Liaison Section; problem of understanding American accents; memory of American officer and uniform; question of secrecy and code words; memory of Normandy landings, 6/1944; problem of tracking V1 rockets and special call-sign; accommodation; story of demobilisation and return to civilian life, 11/1945.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80019476
Imperial War Museum (IWM) - Harrison, Mary Elizabeth (Oral history) - British NCO served as plotter and model maker with Women's Auxiliary Air Force in GB, 1940-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in GB, 1921-1940: family; father's experience in First World War; death of father; education; outbreak of Second World War, 9/1939. Recollections of period with as aircraftwomen with Women's Auxiliary Air Force in GB, 1940-1945: decision to join services; recruitment procedure; training as plotter; posting to RAF Watnall; description of plotting room; plotting duties; reaction to loss of British aircraft; attitude towards plotting 1000 bomber raids; description of plotting duties; witnessing devastation of Coventry; shift system; class background of WAAFs at RAF Watnall; various duties. REEL 2 Continues: uniform; regulations hair styles; food rations; story of cake she received for 21st birthday; social life; attitude towards plotting 1000 bomber raids; relations between men and women at Watnall; VIP visits to Watnall; attending model making course, Newnham Courtenay, Oxford, 1942; instructors; atmosphere at Newnham Courtenay; posting to RAF Medmenham; constructing models of sites to be bombed; details of model making process; relations between photographers, map and model makers. REEL 3 Continues: starting work on models for D-Day landings; story of meeting Sir Arthur Harris; VIP visitors; working hours; attitude towards modeling work; modeling technique; description of various models made; relations with US co-workers; making copies of models; well known artists and sculptors working at RAF Medmenham; lack of women at RAF Medmenham; reads poem relating to Norway; reads poem 'My Hands.' REEL 4 Continues: reads poem 'Bristol' on destruction of Bristol in bombing; reads poem 'The Flying Bomb'; information on book of wartime cartoons that she has donated to Department of Documents; impact of war on women's emancipation; impact of war on her life; post-war work.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80020746
Index of IWM Watnall items - https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/search?query=watnall&pageSize=&media-records=records-with-media
BeYourFinest Filter Room pages http://beyourfinest.com/dowding-system-2/ - excellent set of pages explaining the Dowding System and the Filter and Ops Room procedures. There is even a software simulation of the filter room. https://nova.makerfaire.com/maker/entry/1204/
Video of the Filter Room WW2 from Eileen Younghusband's YouTube and BBC account https://youtu.be/wFN4uE2b9hA?t=183
BBC WW2 People's War https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/53/a2093753.shtml
Video of Battle of Britain Early Warning system "Standing Alone" Reel 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqQFUjJnPqM&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9
Reel 1 - Time To Remember - Standing Alone 1940 - Reel 1 (1940)
Plotting D-Day https://lady.co.uk/ladies-d-day
RAF Magazine article by JD Taylor -
A very interesting letter was received by one of our readers, Mr J. D. Manson, researching the history of the No. 12 Group operations centre at Watnall (see page 24). It came from a Mr Long:
‘I arrived at Watnall in April 1942 and stayed until September 1945, being the Unit Signals Warrant Officer there on three separate tours of duty.
‘The underground block was constructed prior to the commencement of hostilities in 1939. but was not actually completed and operational until sometime in 1940. No. 12 Fighter Group was at that time located with its headquarters at Hucknall, but moved to Watnall in 1940. The administrative and domestic buildings were located on either side of the main road, all wooden huts, and access to the main underground operations block was through the passages of the main administrative huts.
‘The underground operations block itself was indeed sixty feet below ground, and housed the Group Operations Room complete with a mammoth plotting table, operational and administrative teleprinters which were a vital main link in the Defence Teleprinter Network, and a very large telephone exchange, in addition to hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of GPO equipment. The GPO also manned the place for twenty-four hours a day.
‘As a Fighter Group Headquarters, No. 12 Group was responsible for the Fighter defence of the area north of Cambridge to south of Teeside, and had six main fighter stations at which were located those fighter squadrons which. when not actually taking part in the defence of the area, and protecting convoys and shipping in the North Sea, were being called upon to reinforce those squadrons which were participating in the Battle of Britain. Duxford, Coltishall, Wittering, Digby, Kirton-in-Lindsey, and Church Fenton were the fighter stations concerned, and the radio and landline links from Watnall existed to each of these stations, and every Radar and Observer Corps unit within the Group boundaries. Additionally, the Group was linked into the main Defence Telephone and Teleprinter network with direct lines to the Air Ministry, Fighter Command HQ, Bomber Command HQ, Coastal Command HQ, and all the other groups in Fighter Command.
Perhaps it will give you some idea of the vast cable and telephone network when I relate that whilst serving at Watnall after the war, I had to certify the half-yearly Telephone and Cable account, and it was never less than £500,000. That was in the mid-fifties when a pound was a pound!
‘In 1943, a second operations block was completed alongside the old railway line which ran from Bulwell to Kimberley, and this was known as the Filter Block. This block housed equally costly and secret equipment, and was designed to act as a point where all the classified information received from the various Radar and Ground Control Interception stations could be ‘filtered’ before being passed on to the Operations Room. Both blocks were manned throughout the twenty-four hours, and it was a common sight to see the night watch marching down the main road at Watnall on their way to the Filter Block with an airman or airwoman walking in front and at the rear of the column with a lantern.
‘When the war ended, the need for the Operations Room was still apparent and, although No. 12 Group Headquarters moved to Newton, the Ops Room was still kept open but not on a 24-hour basis. The Filter Block was closed apart from the six-position, Administrative Telephone Switchboard, which was retained in use as a most important link in the RAF Telephone Network.
‘Then in the very early fifties, the Ops Block was closed down and the Filter Block opened to house another brand of Filter Unit known as the ‘C.F.C.C.P.’ and an Air Traffic Control Centre. Eventually it was thought better to transfer these two units back to the Operations Block, and this was done. The RAF station Watnall remained open until 1961 when the entire station was closed down, and the Operations Block was closed also.
‘The Main Transmitting Station was situated remotely from the block, and was housed in a field quite near to the Rectory adjoining Nuthall Church. It housed several transmitters, and was used extensively during the war — then allowed to deteriorate before being renovated and made serviceable again in the late fifties. I should imagine that by now it has disappeared.
‘I left Watnall for the last time in April 1960 when I was posted to Christmas Island, but prior to leaving I attended some conferences at the Army Headquarters at Bestwood Lodge, where the possibility of using the Operations Block as a Central HQ for the Civil Defence was mooted. However, there was one vital drawback: there were already signs that the underground block was being affected by mining subsidence — not entirely unexpected — and that was the real reason why it has not been found possible to ‘use the place for any worthwhile project.’
'The steel door which you have seen near the Met[Metrological] Station was in fact one of two Emergency Exits from the Underground Block, and the ducts wore indeed part of the Air Conditioning system.'
'The Main Transmitting Station was situated remotely from the block, and was housed in a field quite near to the Rectory adjoining Nuthall Church. It housed several transmitters, and was used extensively during the war - then allowed to deteriorate before being renovated and made serviceable again in the late fifties. I should imagine that by now it has disappeared.'
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