From Geographical Intelligence to Major Head Injuries: Oxford Colleges at War

The physical closeness of College (left-hand side) to the School of Geography (right-hand side) can clearly be seen in this photograph.  Manchester College was the logical space to expand into when the ISTD outgrew the School of Geography.  Both buildings are located on Mansfield Road.  

A rare photograph of the Tate Quad during the war. The image shows a fire drill in progress and must have been soon after the requisition of the premises as the three huts that were erected in the Quad are not yet built.   

This photograph is part a collection of photographs from Peter Bradford, Head of the photographic unit at NIDs.  The collection is primarily formed of a series of publicity photographs Bradford took following the BBC appeal to the public for photographs and postcards from Europe.

'Dig for Victory' plans for the lawns in the Arlosh Quad at the beginning of the War were frustrated by the quality and depth of the soil - 'the scheme...for the digging up by the students of the grass in the Arlosh Quad had to be abandoned owning to the presence of extensive rubble throughout at less than a spade's depth.'

The official order for the requisitioning of space in Manchester College came through on 17 October, 1941.  

The College was officially requisitioned in 1941, although not all of the space was taken over immediately.  The Chapel, Domestic flat, Library and Hostel (seen here on the left) were initially available to college, although that soon changed and all that remained under the control of the Principal was the Chapel and Hostel.  Books from the Library and furniture were sent to the hostel before being relocated elsewhere during the war.  

A picture of Colonel Bassett in June, 1960, retiring after 32 years in the Naval Intelligence Department.  He was instrumental in the development of ISTD and grew the number of staff employed to 750 by the end of the war. Photograph from the Imperial War Museum (© IWM (A 34311)).  His autobiography, Royal Marine, was published in 1965 and contains details of his time during the war, including the building up of ISTD and time at Oxford. 

Several plans of each floor were made while the ISTD were in College.  The floorplans were extremely detailed and every table, chart press, filing cabinet and other piece of furniture were marked and noted on the plan.  This plan of the ground floor shows three huts have been built in the Tate Quad which have been labelled Section 'B'; this was the Norwegian section. 

Some of the letters from the archive that show the correspondence between the Principal and Colonel Bassett about the ladies lavatories in the College.  The increase in the number of female staff working within college eventually led to temporary loos being erected in the Tate Quad. 

The interior of one of the huts that Section 'B' occupied.  Hedin Bronner served with Naval Intelligence at Manchester College in Section 'B' and in his autobiography, Landkjenning, he writes of his time in Oxford.  He says of the space in the huts - 'rooms filled with a jungle of writing desks, drawing tables, filing cabinets, map racks, bookshelves, coat racks, chair and stools. Two coal stoves can't keep our feet war on the cold cement floor.'

One of the publicity photographs taken by Peter Bradford.  This particular example has officers from across the services looking at various maps, photographs and charts. The piece of equipment in the middle, the stereoscope, enabled a set of overlapping images to be viewed in 3-D. 

Staff in the College Garden 1945. Mr Garrick (left) made a model of the German 'Tirpitz' in a harbour. Hedin Bronner in 'Landkjenning' writes of finding the Tirpitz - 'Look, he [Clowser] says I'll show you something. He leafs through a stack of aerials and puts a pair under the lenses. They are taken from a great height, and show the contours of narrow bays, headlands and small islands. And then I see it -an island that should not be there! A ship in the bay west of Tromsoy.  A few days later..there on the table is the magnificent model of Tromsoy. ...Tirpitz is sunk within the week.'

There are a series of letters in the archive that relate to the Nissen huts that remain in the College quads after the war has ended.  ISTD staff that had been working in the New Bodleian were moved out at the request of the University Authorities and were relocated into the huts at Manchester College.  

A letter from the University Registrar asking whether, after the Admiralty leaves the huts might be used as University accommodation. 

It took some time after the end of the War for the college premises to be returned.  There were detailed assessments to be undertaken to identify any damage or disrepair that had occurred during the requisition period.  We have a detailed Dilapidations Schedule that lists all the repairs and remedial tasks that are required in various spaces across the college, including this work to 'make good' Colonel Bassett's office.  

HRH, Princess Royal visited Harris Manchester College in 2014 to unveil a plaque in the Arlosh Hall to commemorate the role of the ISTD in the planning of the D-Day landings. During the visit HRH met some of the staff that had worked in 'Section B', Eleonore Fredrikke Knudtzon and Pamela Braham (now Sheridan) who worked at Manchester College during the War. We are fortunate that both were kind enough during 2014 to note their recollections of their time at Manchester College during the war so we have some first hand accounts of some of the activities undertaken.  

A plaque commemorating the work of the ISTD and their contribution to D-Day planning, unveiled during a visit of HRH, Princess Royal to College in 2014.