In August 2005, the Heritage Lottery Fund made an award to Bawdsey Radar Trust in Suffolk for an oral history project, documenting the memories and experiences of ex RAF personnel and civilians who worked at the radar station known as RAF Bawdsey.
The paperback book with a CD reveals true stories from those stationed at Bawdsey from 1936 to the day when RAF Bawdsey was officially closed on the 25th March 1991. It might surprise the reader what actually took place at times, and to quote a passage from the book:-
“The defence line was Martlesham, there was a gun mounted on the railway which was trained constantly on Bawdsey to destroy it if it was invaded – they were expendable. They were to stay there. They were given a box of grenades, a sledgehammer and small arms, and their instructions were to destroy the receiver if there was an invasion – and that is all that they had to do”.
Memories of hi-jinks escapades, humour, the rough times and the good times, it is amazing to discover what actually took place! Maybe a blind eye or two was turned!
Bawdsey sits on the shore edge of the River Deben, and to get to Felixstowe on foot you would have to catch Charlie’s Ferry – not a ferry as we know it today, but a small whaler boat. Charlie would take you across the river to what is called Felixstowe Ferry – the quay on Felixstowe side of the river. From there, an old bus would take you into Felixstowe, eventually, as Albert the driver never took the bus out of second gear!!
Most of the memories recorded are between 1936 and 1945, with the last entry recording the closing of the station in 1991 and the ceremony that took place. What other stories happened during these years is a mystery, until those that were stationed at RAF Bawdsey come forward to talk of their recollections of days gone by.
Do look in our online shop for some lovely gift ideas including the latest addition to our bookshelf.
‘ Felixstowe Ferry Yesterday Today and Tomorrow ‘. This delightful hardback would make a great gift for anyone interested in the history of the hamlet and its links to Bawdsey.
Come and join Nigel who will be describing life as a WW2 RAF Warrant Officer and will bring lots of interesting items with him. Demonstrations of weaponary, have a go at Morse Code and foot drill practice for children!
Sunday 24th and Wednesday 27th October 11am to 4pm and the activity is included in admission price to the museum
During September talks will take place in the Transmitter Block on Wednesdays.
The talks will be given at 11am and 2pm on each occasion. See below for details of each talk. It is essential to pre-book via the online booking system. Tickets include light refreshments, an opportunity to look round the exhibition and purchase items from our Gift Shop.
Please note the museum WILL NOT be open for general admission on talk days.
Wednesday 15th – The role of radar in the Allied air campaign over Europe – talk by Iain Dunnett
“This talk will be accompanied by a wide range of original props from World War Two that relate to the Allied air missions over the UK and Europe. The talk will explain how dependent these missions were on the secrets of the radar story and the key role that Bawdsey played in radar development, the defence of the UK and the ultimate challenge of the Allied air campaign over Europe.”
Duration of talk: One hour
Wednesday 22nd – Secrets and Spies (How Nazi spies lost the Battle of Britain) – talk by Graham Randall
“With increasing interest in the history of World War 2, so many intriguing stories are coming to light now. One is how Nazi Germany’s spies failed to discover any worthwhile information about our radar systems – even sending a Zeppelin airship to travel up and down the east coast just four weeks before war was declared to try and find out what the large steel transmitter masts were doing.”
The talk is a fascinating insight into spies and spying and how so much effort was directed at the radar stations which played such a vital role in the Battle of Britain.
Duration of talk: 45 minutes
Wednesday 29th – Tracing WWII Relatives, talk by Dr Phil Judkins
Many families have stories or perhaps some old black-and-white photographs passed on from their relatives who were in the armed forces during World War II. But how do you go about finding out more details after so many years have passed?
This fascinating talk is given by Dr Phil Judkins the renowned radar historian and lecturer at Universities of Leeds and Buckingham. Come along to Bawdsey Radar museum and discover how you can trace your family history from the wartime records and find out how to use the very many archives and sources of information that are available.
Visits can be booked in advance. Please click on the link ‘book tickets’ to buy your timed tickets. Pre-booking is not necessary. However, on occasions you may have to queue at busy times if you haven’t booked.
Because we are operating at reduced visitor capacity, your visit will be an hour long.
In line with the Government recommendations, we will be maintaining many of our Covid protections, including the wearing of face coverings, providing hand sanitizing stations, enhanced ventilation, use of social distancing and card payments preferred.
On July 13 2018 Bawdsey Radar Transmitter Block was officially reopened after having undergone a remarkable restoration financed mainly by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In the shop we sell a great range of gifts connected to the Bawdsey Radar story including sets of coasters featuring the RAF sector clock face. Not only does our bespoke design include the RAF Bawdsey badge but the clock hands show 20.18 to remind us of when the block reopened with its stunning new exhibition.
You can buy the coasters on line here or visit the museum shop in person…..we would love to welcome you.
While the operational side of Bawdsey drew to a close in 1991, interest in the site was far from over and thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers the old, damp block became the award-winning museum that you see today. In this final episode we look into the story of the volunteers and the rebirth of Bawdsey as a museum.
The Transmitter Block reopens to visitors on June 3rd.
All visits will need to be booked in advance. You can buy your timed tickets by clicking on this link ‘book tickets’. Opening times Thursdays and Sundays 11am – 4pm, (last admission 3pm)
Due to operating at reduced visitor capacity, visits will be an hour long. Up to six people per visit group. You are asked to follow government guidance when planning your visit.
Tickets are being released in small batches initially and following government guidance, we hope to release more soon.
Following the Second World War there was hope that the fighting was over, but within two years the world held its breath as two superpowers battled it out in a 40 year cold war.
This episode is a roundup of events and how the Cold War affected the use of Bawdsey’s radar in this time and includes the voices of those who worked here.
Thank you to every National Lottery player as National Lottery Heritage Funding makes this podcast possible. Thank you to Emily Casson for creating and producing this podcast.
