It’s truly an exciting time as our Conservation works programme is now fully underway with both our contractors onsite. They’ll ...
From British aces Douglas Bader and Johnnie Johnson, to the great South African Sailor Malan and American Art Donahue, Kenley ...
To date most of our stories about Kenley have featured men. To mark International Women’s Day 2017 on 8 March we thought it was timely to record the amazing life of one of Britain’s foundation glider pilots who had a Kenley connection. Ann Welch (1917-2002) was a world class glider pilot and an aviator who flew more than 100 aircraft types, from gliders to Wellington bombers.
Rolf Von Pebal's personal account and photographs of the raid, taken from the Dornier Do.17 flown by Feldwebel Reichel, 9th Staffel/KG76.
RAF Kenley is probably best known for its key role in the Battle of Britain, but it continued to be a prominent fighter station for the remainder of the war with many squadrons crossing the airfield boundaries. All the squadrons are commemorated on the RAF Kenley Tribute, one such squadron was 350 (Belgian) Squadron.
Sergeant Wladyslaw Mordasiewicz was a Polish serviceman who served in the 302 Polish Fighter Squadron during the Second World War. In 1941, 302 Squadron was stationed at RAF Kenley for five months, where Sergeant Mordasiewicz served as an office orderly from 7 April to 5 September. Despite only a short stay, he was able to recount in his diary some notable and interesting occurrences during his time at Kenley.
Attack Alarm is an espionage novel written by author Hammond Innes, who was stationed at Kenley as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Battle of Britain. Not a great deal is known about Innes’s service in the Royal Artillery between 1940-1946, but his book written and published during the war offers an invaluable and detailed account based on his time at Kenley, most notably the devastating attack on 18 August 1940, Kenley’s Hardest Day.
Here is the 1939 entry in RAF Kenley’s Operations Record Book 1 for the first wartime Christmas Day
Due to its proximity to London, RAF Kenley received many famous visitors over the years. Possibly none more so than the 25 year-old Charles A. Lindbergh in June 1927, following an epic 33½ hour first solo crossing of the Atlantic from New York to Paris in his aircraft the Spirit of St Louis.
