07/10/2026
On this day 7 October 1940 - Death Of Warrant Officer Joe Hunt, the man who led RAF Biggin Hill's bomb disposal team during the Battle Of Britain
On 7 October 1940, in Farnborough Hospital (Kent) WO Edmund George (Joe) Hunt succumbed to injuries suffered the previous day whilst dealing with yet another unexploded German bomb. During his time leading the team he dealt with literally dozens of UXBs – a job made more hazardous because it was impossible to know if they had not gone off because they were defective; or whether they were delayed-action bombs which could go off at any time in the next 72 hours.
WAAF Sergeant Elizabeth Mortimer MM described an earlier incident:
“During the defusing operation I acted as Hunt’s assistant…we had a special tool which we used to short out the electrical condenser fitted to the German bomb fuses, then the bombs could be lifted clear”.
Whilst the last big raid on RAF Biggin Hill happened on 5 September, nuisance raids by single or small numbers of aircraft continued both by day and night during the autumn. Some eight such raids are recorded during the remainder of 1940.
On 6 October a single German aircraft is recorded as having dropped 8x high explosive bombs at lunchtime, destroying 3x barrack blocks and causing slight damage to the aerodrome surface. It was probably one of these bombs which fatally injured WO Hunt. But in addition there would almost certainly still have been UXBs from earlier raids which had buried themselves in the ground or in undergrowth.
In November just as the station administrative staff were returning to the newly-repaired Station Headquarters block 6x delayed-action bombs went off throughout the day, one of which blew WO Gill off his bicycle.
For his actions from 16 August- 6 October, WO Hunt was awarded the George Medal. The citation for WO Hunt reads:
‘This warrant officer has dealt with unexploded bombs after six enemy bombing attacks on the aerodrome. On one occasion, while assisting an officer [Sqn Leader Eric Moxey] he was blown 20 yards; but in spite of this he has continued to show a complete disregard for his own safety and his gallant actions have been instrumental in keeping the aerodrome operationally serviceable’. (London Gazette – 21 January 1941)
Like many such awards to RAF bomb disposal staff it was given posthumously and well after the event. This was because the Air Ministry did not wish to make public that delayed-action bombs and those fitted with anti-handling fuses were taking a toll on our bomb disposal teams.
Thank you to Bob Ogly for the photograph provided. Page 64 in Biggin on the Bump. This book is available to be bought in our shop.
And Thank you to Chris Ransted who is from the National Archives and ran the bomb disposal stall at our Battle of Britain Day for providing useful information.
