Kenley was never set up to accommodate large aircraft but we know from the Station diary, that there was the odd occasion when damaged bombers did land there in desperation as they limped home from raids over the Continent.
One of Maidstone’s most tragic wartime incidents happened on 10th October 1940, when a Kenley Hurricane, of No.253 squadron, crashed ...
On 29th April, 1942, R.A.F. Kenley received an unpublicised visit from King George VI, accompanied by Sir Sholto Douglas. He ...
On the night of 2/3rd June in 1944, a terrible tragedy befell a Coulsdon family..
In August 2019, we were visited by the family of Flight Sergeant William George Rose, who served in RAF Kenley’s ...
On 10th May 1940, Germany attacked the Low Countries and what became known as ‘The Blitzkrieg’ was on. That morning No.3 Squadron's pilots were at their base at RAF Kenley. The day was bright and clear although the early morning peace had been disturbed when a section of Hurricanes had been scrambled to investigate an unidentified aircraft approaching the coast.
On 13th July, 1943, a routine Fighter sweep for 403 squadron came to a disastrous conclusion for F/O James Ian ...
On the 22nd December 1943, a crash at Kenley resulted in an RAF dH.87b Hornet Moth being written off, but ...
We are indebted to Scott P. M. Godefroy for this wonderful photo of No.401 Squadron RCAF at RAF Kenley on 21st January, 1943.
By June 1944, Kenley had been left behind as our Forces moved forward on the offensive. The last of Kenley’s ...
On 19th April, 1943, a serious accident befell Pilot Officer Cooke (J21231) of No.416 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, during take-off from Kenley...
As Fighter Command looked to the future in 1941 following the end of the Battle of Britain and major German ...
The photos above come from Jan Jokiel’s book “Participation of Poles in the Battle of Britain: a photo album with ...
On 20th December 1943, fate dealt a terrible blow to Flying Officer Robert Temple Pentland, of 403 squadron, RCAF. His accident ...
(from the book “I came back the shortest way” by Jan Jokiel) Jan Jokiel was a Polish Intelligence Officer participating in ...
How does a system, originally designed as a maritime rescue apparatus, end up on Fighter Command airfields in 1940?
While relating the stories of fighter combat during WW2, we often talk of ‘miraculous escapes,’ but what happened to P/O ...
On 15th January, 1943, 401 squadron RCAF, flying from Kenley, lost Sergeant Pilot William Kennedy Ferguson…. From the squadron Operations Record ...
S/L Norman Fowlow spent most of 1943 with the Canadian Wing at Kenley, and took command of 403 squadron RCAF, ...
On 4th September 1943, Squadron Leader Frank Edward "Bitsy" Grant brought down his first FW190 after taking command of 403 squadron, but following that engagement, failed to rejoin his squadron. He was posted as "missing" and subsequently found to have been killed in action.
On the 4th November, 1940, a lone enemy bomber attacked Caterham on the Hill dropping several bombs which damaged shops and ...
On the 4th June, 1943, Wing Commander Leslie Sydney Ford, DFC and Bar, met his end leading 402 squadron, when ...
The photos above come from Jan Jokiel’s book “Participation of Poles in the Battle of Britain: a photo album with ...
