Flying formation

THE BOMBS which brought devastation to a Cambridge street on the night of 18th June 1940 had been intended for the nearby railway yards, but fell instead on an area of small, terraced houses.

IT is 70 years since the Battle of Britain.

As the Imperial War Museum at Duxford marks the milestone, Cambridge residents who were witness to some of the events remember life during the conflict.

THE BOMBS which brought devastation to a Cambridge street on the night of 18th June 1940 had been intended for the nearby railway yards, but fell instead on an area of small, terraced houses.

Worst hit was Vicarage Terrace, off Sturton Street, and the toll was high – reports give 12 civilians dead, including five children aged between five months and 12 years, while a further 10 people were injured. It was believed to have been the largest loss of civilian life in an air raid up to that time, and happened on the very day Prime Minister Winston Churchill had declared in a broadcast that “the Battle of Britain is about to begin ... the whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned upon us”. It was Cambridge’s introduction to the reality of what was to befall much of the rest of the country.

The locality has now been extensively redeveloped, but the incident lives on in the memories of many, including air historian Michael Bowyer, who was then a pupil at the County High School.

Shortly before midnight, he says in his most recent book, The Battle of Britain – the fight for survival in 1940, a Heinkel III “made a shallow dive over Cambridge, released two bombs and, with a surge of engine power, climbed away. I shall never forget the screech of the bombs as they hurtled low overhead, one fitted with ‘screamers’ on its four fins.

“Our house shook for the first time to exploding bombs, the electric light swung merrily, the wooden window shutters vibrated for some seconds, and there was a slight detectable movement of air pressure. It happened so suddenly, so unexpectedly, and on a beautiful, brightly moonlit June night. My mother’s instant response was to make a cup of tea.”

It was far from the only attack that night, with 18 incidents reported, from areas including Saffron Walden, Huntingdon, Newmarket and St Neots, as well as towns and cities further afield. Others were to follow in the weeks ahead. The battle was begun.

As well as the railway yards, another local target was the Unicam Instrument Works in Arbury Road, which produced optical and electronic instruments, and had defence contracts for firing control mechanisms. Donald Unwin, who worked there from 1935-46 recalled that “on occasions a platoon of gunners came with their artillery, and in the field behind the works demonstrated their use of the instruments”. It is rumoured, but not confirmed, that Unicam’s role was known to the enemy because captured allied weapons carried discs bearing their details!

If there were relatively few significant factories, one thing Cambridgeshire did have in abundance were airfields. These were mainly bomber bases, with some notable exceptions including Duxford, Fowlmere and Castle Camps.

Marshalls of Cambridge which had and, of course, still has its own airfield, was a major centre for flying training and also aircraft repairs before, during and after the battle.

Cambridge Airport was the location of the first public flying display by Spitfires in 1938 and by the war’s end Marshall’s had helped to turn out over 20,000 pilots and instructors.

Although it was a bomber rather than a fighter base, RAF Oakington was the scene, in September 1940 of an event which has gone down in local – and aviation – history. Blenheim bombers were making mock attacks on the airfield for army training, when another aircraft suddenly appeared and belly landed, while two Hurricanes flew overheard. It proved to be a Luftwaffe Ju88a, which had been conducting photographic reconnaissance when it developed engine trouble. The crew were captured, and much was learned from the equipment aboard.

By October 1940 Hitler had been forced to abandon his plans to invade, and the Battle of Britain was effectively over. 70 years on, Churchill’s famous words remain as potent as ever - “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.