 Site Records
Site Name: Kenton Bar - 13 Group Fighter Command Headquarters and
Region 1 Regional War Room
Kenton Lane
Kenton Bar
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Northumberland
OS Grid Ref: NZ216674
Sub Brit site visit 1st December 2004
During the expansion of the RAF during the late 1930s, the command
structure of the air defences of Britain was reviewed. New developments
in radar technology and the capabilities of the new Spitfire and Hurricane
fighter aircraft, together with the changing nature of the threat posed
by the modern bomber aircraft used by the Luftwaffe meant that a comprehensive
reorganisation was required. In a command network known as the Dowding
System, Fighter Command was divided into four operational Groups, under
the control of a central Headquarters at Bentley Priory. Each Group
had its own geographical area of responsibility: 10 Group, South West
England and South Wales; 11 Group,
South East England; 12 Group,
the Midlands; and 13 Group, north of the Humber and all of Scotland.
Photo:The
original 13 Group Fighter Command operations room adapted for use as
Region 1 Regional War Room
Photo by Nick Catford
The location of the 13 Group HQ was chosen before the 27th September
1938. Initially there was a temporary above ground operations room brought
into use by 24th July 1939 to coincide with the formation of the Group.
At this time a permanent underground operations room was under construction,
this was completed and was being fitted out by 3rd December 1939 becoming
fully operational at 23.59 hours on the night of the 13th of March 1940.
Location
of the Kenton site
The area controlled by 13 Group was relatively calm during the Battle
of Britain, with the brunt of the German assault being borne by 11 and
12 Groups. After the end of the daylight phase of the Battle of Britain,
the operational requirements of the air defence system were changed.
On the 1st August 1940 Dyce and Wick sectors were transferred from 13
to 14 Group, a new formation covering the air defence of Scotland with
a fifth protected Group Headquarters provided at Inverness.
On 9th August 1940 13 Group was further reduced in size with the formation
of 9 Group at Barton Hall, Preston (later RAF
Longley Lane). the defences of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham
and the Western Approaches.
| 1 Bunker West Entrance |
2 Bunker East Entrance |
| 3 Substation |
4 Pill box |
| 5 WAAF Quarters |
6 Air raid shelter |
| 7 Decontamination Centre |
8 Grocery store |
| 9 NAAFI |
10 YWCA |
|
This was to concentrate the defences of Manchester, Liverpool,
Birmingham and the Western Approaches.
In another development following the Battle of Britain, it was
recognised that the central command structure was in danger of
being overloaded with information from the various radar stations
and observation. To overcome this potential problem, each Group
Headquarters were provided with a Filter Room to receive all reports
of aircraft locations, to assimilate and assess this information
in order to provide the most accurate possible picture to the
Operations Room.
The Filter Room for Kenton Bar was built on a separate site, in
Blakelaw Quarry. This facility was somewhat smaller than the Group
Headquarters, but built to a similar pattern. Each Group was also
provided with third smaller communications bunker; the location
of the Communications bunker for Kenton is not known.
|
Throughout late 1940 and 1941, the nature of the threat changed again;
the Luftwaffe stepped up its night operations against large cities and
industrial targets. Through 1941, the majority of German operations seem
to be attacks en route to and from Glasgow and Edinburgh and in many ways,
the north-East appears to have escaped the worst of the night bombing.
Floor
plan after conversion to 1 Group Regional War Room
Drawn by Nick Catford
The Operations Record Books from this period are a useful reminder
that the role of the headquarters went beyond directing air defence
operations. Documents bound in with the operational diaries include
combat reports and the development of new tactics, particularly during
the switch to night-bombing in late 1940 to 1941.
By 1943, the air defence requirements had changed again, with the increase
in offensive actions against occupied Europe and the reduction of massed
bombing raids on Britain. 13 Group was amalgamated with 14 Group on
the 15th July 1943 and the Group Control was renamed RAF Blakelaw becoming
a Sector Operations Room for Catterick and Ouston Sectors in 12 Group.
This change in role meant that the Filter Room apparently became redundant
and was taken over by the Military Police in June 1944. The exact role
of the Blakelaw bunker at this time is in some doubt; there were proposals
to establish a joint USAAF/RAF command centre or even to convert the
site into a Maintenance Unit but neither of these appear to have come
to anything. In September of that year, the Filter Room was turned over
to 321 Squadron, attached to 22 Group.
VJ Day (12th August 1945) marked the end of RAF Blakelaw as an active
station. The Royal Observer Corps were stood down, and round the clock
manning of the Operations Room was left to a skeleton crew.
For further information and pictures
of Kenton Bar click here
Click here
for Blakelaw Filter Room
Home Page
Last updated 15th September 2005
© 2005 Subterranea Britannica
|