Hi All,
This is my first trip report and actually it's more some random pictures from many trips over the years to the site. I'm no photographer so apologies for the quality of the images but I was just trying to give a flavour of the site.
I have so much information on the site but here is a brief summary:
In 1942 the Royal Air Force were searching for a suitable expansion to their Bomber Command Headquarters (now known as RAF High Wycombe Air Command at Walters Ash to the North of the town. A new headquarters was urgently required prior to the arrival of heavy bomber units of the US Army Air Force (USAAF) later that year. Despite vigorous opposition from the school, the Air Ministry requisitioned the entire site on 28th of March 1942. The school was closed for the duration of the war and the girls were dispersed to other schools with only two week’s notice!
No sooner than they departed the first contingent of American officers arrived at Daws Hill to establish an Eighth Air Force Headquarters to be known as Station 101, for VIII Bomber Command. The school was converted into an administration block and numerous other buildings were erected on the grounds.
About half-way up the hill a new underground headquarters was built in eleven months at a cost of £250,000. Initially the new bunker was shared by RAF Bomber Command until the Americans were ready for full occupation. The bunker was given the codename ‘Pinetree’.
The bunker had a floor area of 23,000 sq ft with a 10 ft thick reinforced concrete roof and above that a further 25 feet of soil. The side walls were over 5ft thick and to absorb the shock wave from an explosion the building was surrounded by an inner void and then a further 6 feet of reinforced concrete; in effect it was a bunker within a bunker.
The bunker was provided with the air conditioning and gas filtration and was protected with gas tight doors that allowed it bunker to be maintained at an overpressure with an internal temperature of 67F. The bunker was totally self sufficient with its own water supply and a standby generator.
The bunker is located within a secure secluded compound through two sets of locked gates in a wooded hollow in Warren Wood on the crest of Daws Hill. Close to the main entrance is an area of hard standing a large warehouse which has no connection with the bunker. The 80’s standby generator house is built into a bank alongside the entrance to the car park; it has two large pairs of double doors. The generators have been removed and the diesel tanks have been filled with expanding foam however a significant amount of electrical control equipment remains. The bunker itself is mounded with light tree growth on top with both the main entrance and emergency exit opening onto the car park. The emergency exit also acts as the access point for installing and removing plant and other equipment in and out of the bunker. As well as a stairway down to the upper level there is an inclined railway straddling the stairs operated from below and from an external control cabinet adjacent to the top of the stairway. Both the emergency exit and the main entrance are surrounded by a steel cage for added security.
The main entrance consists of two blast protected doorways with a small external guardroom between them. One entrance is described as ‘clean’ and leads directly to the stairs down to the bottom level passing through a single steel door and two heavy steel and concrete blast doors forming an air lock. The second entrance is described as ‘dirty’ with a steel door and two blast doors giving access to the bunker through a decontamination suite. This comprises a number of small rooms for undressing, shower and dressing and includes a disposal chute for contaminated clothing and is still a fine, mostly intact example of a cold war decontamination suite.
At the top of the stairs there is a second internal guardroom at the top of the long stairway. The guardroom still retains its furniture, electrical controls and as with many of the rooms in the bunker UK 240V and American 120V power sockets along side each other.
At the bottom of the stairs, the entrance tunnel passes through the void area between the inner and outer skin of the bunker and through a second air lock into the lower dog legged spine corridor. As built, the narrow void area was unused but during the 1980’s rebuild it was utilised for the additional plant that was required for the upgrade forming a ring of plant around the bunker. This ring plant room is entered by doors on either side of the entrance passage and is 10 feet in width.
Going through the doorway on the left there are three steps going down to floor level where the sewage pumps are located. Beyond these are effluent tanks which continue round the first corner. On the next ‘side’ there are non potable water tanks and beyond those fans and compressors. Passing through a doorway and round the next corner banks of filter drums line this entire side of the bunker. Beyond the filters and round the third corner there is another doorway and a ladder up to a higher level. The passage continues on the lower but has not been utilised from plant or equipment. Next to the ladder there is a vertical shaft with a hoist up to the top level for lowering equipment into the ring plant room. On the upper void level there are large floor standing electrical cabinets and beyond wooden racks for standby batteries. Passing the batteries the passage turns the final corner and after a short distance there is a ladder back down to the lower level. The only access to this upper level plant area is by ladder. Two large mains transformers and control equipment complete the ring with steps back up to the opposite door in the entrance corridor.
Most of the rooms on this lower level have been stripped of any fixtures and fittings and although many of the rooms are numbered and coded there is no indication what their use was although most of the doors have a board restricting access. Some of these read ‘Restricted Access TS (Top Secret) Clearance Required’, ‘Restricted area 6 Level Security Badge Required’ and ‘You are leaving an SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) – Do Not Discuss SCI, Do Not Remove SCI’). There is also a large message window with a sign that reads ‘Couriers you are responsible for checking you traffic before departing this service window’. In the corner of one room there is a large electrical rack with dials and wiring diagrams, possibly relating to the fire alarm/suppression system.
There are two stairways linking the three levels and adjacent to the stairs in the south west corner of the bunker there is a large hatch in the ceiling with a hoist on the upper floor for lowering and removing equipment and plant.
The majority of the rooms on the middle floor have again been stripped of all fixtures and fittings although there is one large air conditioning and electrical plant room which appears to control the main electrical supply into the bunker and two smaller plant rooms. This floor has been used as a film set at some time in the recent past and many of the walls are covered in unusual patterned ‘graffiti’.
The upper floor is divided into a number of very large rooms, again empty apart from ventilation trunk and cooling for racks of equipment.
The plant hoist is at the south west corner of the bunker adjacent to the emergency exit. Here there is a single blast door to the bottom of the emergency stairway where the motor and winch for the railed incline are located.
It is unclear today given the updates that took place in the 1980’s where the original two level plotting room would have been located in the bunker. Some accounts point to the plotting room spanning between the 2nd and 3rd floors along the centre of the three structural corridors that make up the internal structure.
A number of rooms within the bunker were configured with substantial power, air conditioning and halon fire suppression for large computer systems. Throughout the bunker there are a number of computer terminal ports on the walls labelled “WWMCCS”. These were for computing devices connected to the US Worldwide Military Command and Control System.
Today the bunker is dry throughout and the water & electricity supply has been disconnected. The bunker did however suffer some mould and water damage throughout during the period it was in the control of the Defence Estates prior to it being handed back to the school. At that time the doors to the bunker were left open and a water leak (that has now been fixed) coupled with the warm summers led to substantial damp and mould throughout. This damp has now dried out and the condition of the bunker in general is good.
The site is locked and secure with physical and electronic security. If I can ever get more permission visits I'll post here.
On to the photos:
View attachment IMG_3291.JPG
I also have a video of a walk around I did but don't know if I'm allowed to post YouTube links here?
Anyway, enjoy!
This is my first trip report and actually it's more some random pictures from many trips over the years to the site. I'm no photographer so apologies for the quality of the images but I was just trying to give a flavour of the site.
I have so much information on the site but here is a brief summary:
In 1942 the Royal Air Force were searching for a suitable expansion to their Bomber Command Headquarters (now known as RAF High Wycombe Air Command at Walters Ash to the North of the town. A new headquarters was urgently required prior to the arrival of heavy bomber units of the US Army Air Force (USAAF) later that year. Despite vigorous opposition from the school, the Air Ministry requisitioned the entire site on 28th of March 1942. The school was closed for the duration of the war and the girls were dispersed to other schools with only two week’s notice!
No sooner than they departed the first contingent of American officers arrived at Daws Hill to establish an Eighth Air Force Headquarters to be known as Station 101, for VIII Bomber Command. The school was converted into an administration block and numerous other buildings were erected on the grounds.
About half-way up the hill a new underground headquarters was built in eleven months at a cost of £250,000. Initially the new bunker was shared by RAF Bomber Command until the Americans were ready for full occupation. The bunker was given the codename ‘Pinetree’.
The bunker had a floor area of 23,000 sq ft with a 10 ft thick reinforced concrete roof and above that a further 25 feet of soil. The side walls were over 5ft thick and to absorb the shock wave from an explosion the building was surrounded by an inner void and then a further 6 feet of reinforced concrete; in effect it was a bunker within a bunker.
The bunker was provided with the air conditioning and gas filtration and was protected with gas tight doors that allowed it bunker to be maintained at an overpressure with an internal temperature of 67F. The bunker was totally self sufficient with its own water supply and a standby generator.
The bunker is located within a secure secluded compound through two sets of locked gates in a wooded hollow in Warren Wood on the crest of Daws Hill. Close to the main entrance is an area of hard standing a large warehouse which has no connection with the bunker. The 80’s standby generator house is built into a bank alongside the entrance to the car park; it has two large pairs of double doors. The generators have been removed and the diesel tanks have been filled with expanding foam however a significant amount of electrical control equipment remains. The bunker itself is mounded with light tree growth on top with both the main entrance and emergency exit opening onto the car park. The emergency exit also acts as the access point for installing and removing plant and other equipment in and out of the bunker. As well as a stairway down to the upper level there is an inclined railway straddling the stairs operated from below and from an external control cabinet adjacent to the top of the stairway. Both the emergency exit and the main entrance are surrounded by a steel cage for added security.
The main entrance consists of two blast protected doorways with a small external guardroom between them. One entrance is described as ‘clean’ and leads directly to the stairs down to the bottom level passing through a single steel door and two heavy steel and concrete blast doors forming an air lock. The second entrance is described as ‘dirty’ with a steel door and two blast doors giving access to the bunker through a decontamination suite. This comprises a number of small rooms for undressing, shower and dressing and includes a disposal chute for contaminated clothing and is still a fine, mostly intact example of a cold war decontamination suite.
At the top of the stairs there is a second internal guardroom at the top of the long stairway. The guardroom still retains its furniture, electrical controls and as with many of the rooms in the bunker UK 240V and American 120V power sockets along side each other.
At the bottom of the stairs, the entrance tunnel passes through the void area between the inner and outer skin of the bunker and through a second air lock into the lower dog legged spine corridor. As built, the narrow void area was unused but during the 1980’s rebuild it was utilised for the additional plant that was required for the upgrade forming a ring of plant around the bunker. This ring plant room is entered by doors on either side of the entrance passage and is 10 feet in width.
Going through the doorway on the left there are three steps going down to floor level where the sewage pumps are located. Beyond these are effluent tanks which continue round the first corner. On the next ‘side’ there are non potable water tanks and beyond those fans and compressors. Passing through a doorway and round the next corner banks of filter drums line this entire side of the bunker. Beyond the filters and round the third corner there is another doorway and a ladder up to a higher level. The passage continues on the lower but has not been utilised from plant or equipment. Next to the ladder there is a vertical shaft with a hoist up to the top level for lowering equipment into the ring plant room. On the upper void level there are large floor standing electrical cabinets and beyond wooden racks for standby batteries. Passing the batteries the passage turns the final corner and after a short distance there is a ladder back down to the lower level. The only access to this upper level plant area is by ladder. Two large mains transformers and control equipment complete the ring with steps back up to the opposite door in the entrance corridor.
Most of the rooms on this lower level have been stripped of any fixtures and fittings and although many of the rooms are numbered and coded there is no indication what their use was although most of the doors have a board restricting access. Some of these read ‘Restricted Access TS (Top Secret) Clearance Required’, ‘Restricted area 6 Level Security Badge Required’ and ‘You are leaving an SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) – Do Not Discuss SCI, Do Not Remove SCI’). There is also a large message window with a sign that reads ‘Couriers you are responsible for checking you traffic before departing this service window’. In the corner of one room there is a large electrical rack with dials and wiring diagrams, possibly relating to the fire alarm/suppression system.
There are two stairways linking the three levels and adjacent to the stairs in the south west corner of the bunker there is a large hatch in the ceiling with a hoist on the upper floor for lowering and removing equipment and plant.
The majority of the rooms on the middle floor have again been stripped of all fixtures and fittings although there is one large air conditioning and electrical plant room which appears to control the main electrical supply into the bunker and two smaller plant rooms. This floor has been used as a film set at some time in the recent past and many of the walls are covered in unusual patterned ‘graffiti’.
The upper floor is divided into a number of very large rooms, again empty apart from ventilation trunk and cooling for racks of equipment.
The plant hoist is at the south west corner of the bunker adjacent to the emergency exit. Here there is a single blast door to the bottom of the emergency stairway where the motor and winch for the railed incline are located.
It is unclear today given the updates that took place in the 1980’s where the original two level plotting room would have been located in the bunker. Some accounts point to the plotting room spanning between the 2nd and 3rd floors along the centre of the three structural corridors that make up the internal structure.
A number of rooms within the bunker were configured with substantial power, air conditioning and halon fire suppression for large computer systems. Throughout the bunker there are a number of computer terminal ports on the walls labelled “WWMCCS”. These were for computing devices connected to the US Worldwide Military Command and Control System.
Today the bunker is dry throughout and the water & electricity supply has been disconnected. The bunker did however suffer some mould and water damage throughout during the period it was in the control of the Defence Estates prior to it being handed back to the school. At that time the doors to the bunker were left open and a water leak (that has now been fixed) coupled with the warm summers led to substantial damp and mould throughout. This damp has now dried out and the condition of the bunker in general is good.
The site is locked and secure with physical and electronic security. If I can ever get more permission visits I'll post here.
On to the photos:
I also have a video of a walk around I did but don't know if I'm allowed to post YouTube links here?
Anyway, enjoy!
