31 August 1940 - Biggin Hill Attacks - Which Luftwaffe Units

[Roundway]

Thank you Peter, that saves me from belatedly accessing your reference myself.

My interest arises from the fact that three of the four meteorological observers at Biggin Hill were killed during the 1800 BST raid on the 30th. The three were in an air-raid shelter which received a direct hit. Ironic in a way as the met office itself was largely undamaged although blast effects wrecked the instrument enclosure.

The following day the survivor, Rowland Jessop, (I don't know where he was during the raid) established a rudimentary office in a house just outside the airfield boundary and continued providing basic meteorological support to the airfield until relief arrived 10 days later. That's by the by, but his meteorological observations for the 31st include the comment at 1400 BST "Air Raid warning in operation", unfortunately there is no indication as to when it started or stopped. The timing does, however, fit with your account above.

Jessop died in 1994, but I think I can trace his family, my hope being he might have left a record of events. I've already traced the families of two of the three fatalities, so one can but live in hope.

Brian