On the 9th October 1935, Robert Watson Watt sent a memo to the Air Ministry proposing that a network of stations be established along the coast using the newly developed radar technology in order to give early warning of incoming aerial attack. RAF Bawdsey later became the first link in this network of radar stations known as Chain Home which was used to give advanced warning of incoming German aircraft during the Second World War.
Want to learn more about radar and the men and women who operated it? Visit Bawdsey Radar!
On the 24th September 1937, RAF Bawdsey became the first fully operational RDF site in Great Britain, forming the first link of the chain of radar stations known as Chain Home. This network of radar stations proved vital in giving Fighter Command information about incoming enemy attacks during the Battle of Britain, allowing the outnumbered pilots of the RAF to effectively meet the Luftwaffe and defend the country. The Bawdsey story did not end here, however, and RAF Bawdsey helped keep Britain safe until 1991, first as a ROTOR radar station and later as a Bloodhound Missile site, stationed on the coast to defend against incoming aircraft.
On the 9th September 1935, Robert Watson Watt sent a memo to the Air Ministry proposing that a network of stations be established along the coast using the newly developed radar technology in order to give early warning of incoming aerial attack. RAF Bawdsey later became the first link in this network of radar stations known as Chain Home which was used to give advanced warning of incoming German aircraft during the Second World War.
On the 3rd of September 1939, the Second World War broke out. It was decided that RAF Bawdsey, due to its coastal location, was vulnerable enemy attack and so it was at this time that the research staff from RAF Bawdsey were dispersed around Britain, with many sent to Inverness in Scotland. The team later moved to Worth Matravers in Dorset.
On the 1st September 1936, Robert Watson Watt was made the superintendent of the Radar Research Station at Bawdsey. Watson Watt, along with Arnold ‘Skip’ Wilkins and team pioneered the development of the radar technology that proved vital in the Allied victory in the Second World War.
On the 17th August in 1937, airborne radar was tested for the first time off the coast of Bawdsey. This equipment, developed at RAF Bawdsey, was packed into an Avro Anson aircraft and turned on over the sea in an attempt to track nearby test aircraft. Although this was unsuccessful, the radar system found ships off the Felixstowe coast, leading to the development of Air-to-Surface-Vessel radar (ASV) that proved vital in detecting enemy ships and submarines that were attempting to attack shipping convoys during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Want to learn more about radar and the men and women who operated it? Visit Bawdsey Radar!
On the 15th August in 1940, the RAF repulsed numerous large Luftwaffe air raids on what has become known as ‘the Hardest Day’ of the battle of Britain.
Radar stations like RAF Bawdsey and the aerial interception radar developed at the site proved decisive in these engagements, giving the outnumbered and exhausted pilots of the RAF warning of incoming raids and allowing them to effectively meet and attack incoming aircraft. This network of radar stations along around the British coast, and the Dowding system they were part of, were instrumental in the Allied victory in the Second World War.
On the 12th August 1940, radar stations were attacked as the Battle of Britain raged. Although the radar station at Bawdsey was not targeted, the Luftwaffe attempted to blind the RAF by attacking sites such as Ventor on the Isle of Wight. While the station was indeed knocked out, it was operational within six hours, proving to the Luftwaffe the difficulty in successfully attacking the radar stations that proved so vital in the Battle of Britain.
On the 8th August 1934, Sir Frederick Lindemann wrote a letter to The Times, suggesting that there was currently ‘no means of preventing hostile bombers from depositing their loads of explosives, incendiary materials, gases or bacteria upon their objectives’. He believed, however, that a defeatist attitude should not be taken to the problem, arguing that scientific advancements would enable a method to defend British cities to be developed.
The fear of aerial bombardment led to the Air Ministry heavily investing in methods to defend against enemy attack which ultimately led to the development of radar at Orfordness and RAF Bawdsey.
Want to learn more about radar and the men and women who operated it? Visit Bawdsey Radar! Learn more here: https://www.bawdseyradar.org.uk/visit/
