Wartime Watnall - a "secret bunker girl" explains what they did down there

A chance discovery in Kimberley Library's local history section revealed this lovely letter written in 1976 from an amazing lady who worked in RAF Watnall's secret underground bunker in WW2. She was called Mary Harrison and she says... 

"I have a very soft spot for Watnall and all that went on there and it gladdens my heart to know someone is still interested in it."

Mary Harrison, ex-Watnall bunker girl

She was stationed at Watnall for 3 years and the letter explains her role in the Battle of Britain, the Dambuster's raid and the D-Day Normandy Landings. It helps us to understand what they did deep underground in Watnall and how vital it was in helping to win the war. She also did a series of watercolour cartoons that really bring life at RAF Watnall and the people who worked here. 

Jan 12th 1976

Dear Mr. Bennett,

I was most interested in your letter in the Nottingham Evening Post tonight concerning the now derelict old Ops Room at Watnall, and as one of the many who worked below ground it was in its day a happy place.

I always understood it was 80 feet below ground and I went there as a plotter in the Waaf early in 1940. It was then the headquarters of 12 Group Fighter Command and worked in co-operation with five Fighter Stations under the Command. On a vast map of England and the tip of France we plotted the course of all aircraft, hostile or friendly. Any aircraft was represented by a plaque, given a raid number and estimated height and placed on the grid reference on the table. These references were supplied by other stations, The Royal Observer Corps and what we called R.D.F. which no doubt can be identified as Radar today. The course of these aircraft was shown by metal arrows in three different colours. The colours representing five minutes flying time. When it was officially recognised as hostile it was given an X in front of the number, and the squadrons from the Satellite Stations given their orders to intercept or investigate. Although we were the HQ of Fighter Command we had to plot aircraft from Bomber Command as often fighters were out to protect.

Mary Harrison's sketch of Watnall's Ops Room 

 

I was lucky enough to be there during the Battle of Britain, and although 11 Group had the major part in that, it was also plotted by us. When eventually the 1,000 bomber raids began our tactics had to change, and aircraft was plotted 'in block'.

Although so safely tucked away below ground, we missed none of the excitement when one of our Group Fighters demolished one of the enemy planes and felt the sorrow when one failed to return. For plotting we wore headphones and with magnetic rods moved the arrows immediately on receiving a plot. There were many amusing incidents. The Observer Corps sent us plots lasting nearly an hour, and we wondered what this plane which could not be identified, was doing hovering over a place which to our knowledge had nothing worth bombing. The unidentified plane, did in fact turn out to be a farmer ploughing up his field on a tractor.

We worked shift systems, which were pretty tough as except on stand off, we were never away from the ops room for more than eight hours at a time, We all dreaded the early morning 4am to 8am shift, for that was when in turn we had to scrub out the rest rooms, and I can assure you there is, or was in our opinion, nothing worse than having to get up at 3am to parade before going on that stint. I was there about three years, and can only say of those I worked with I have never met a finer bunch of men and women, and today I am still in touch with many and they are always the first to rally round in time of trouble.

We saw many interesting people down in the Ops Room. Douglas Bader, Max Aitken, Leigh Mallory. The late Duke of Kent and the late Princess Royal and many more, As far as radio communications are concerned I can tell you little, apart from plotting we did have to relay the plots in our area to stations in other areas.

After I left Watnall I worked with RAF Intelligence as a Topographic Model Maker and was with the team to make the models for the raids on the Dams, and which were shown briefly in the film the 'Dam Busters' and the film 'Operation Crossbow' was based on a book written by one of the WAAF officers, who discovered the sites of the experimental flying bombs, but that is another side of the RAF that little is known about, although for eighteen months before D-Day we were working on the models of the Normandy Beaches.

I am sure you will get hundreds of letters from ex-Watnall 'types' for many like myself, came from Nottingham, and who like myself come straight to Watnall without any training whatsoever in RAF discipline, and were absolutely clueless when first going on 'parade'.

I think I can say we were in touch with aerodromes all over England and Wales. If there is anything else can tell you please do not hesitate to write, for I have a very soft spot for Watnall and all that went on there and it gladdens my heart to know someone is still interested in it.

Incidentally it looked this year as though I should have to spend Christmas alone. Three ex-Watnall colleagues just would not hear of it and I spent one of the happiest Christmas's I have spent in a long time. I have had my fair share of 'ups and downs' in the past five years, but the friendship and loyalty of the old Watnall Waafs has helped me more than I can say.

I do hope you can get more information on the station and the RAF.

Yours sincerely,

Mary E Harrison

Mary's cartoons and other tales of wartime Watnall are here... https://watnallhall.blogspot.com/search/label/wartime%20watnall

You can also listen to Mary's Imperial War Museum interview here. It is split into 4 audio reels/clips. It's a bit quiet so you'll have to crank up the volume! ... https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80020746

Object description

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.