RAF Hawkinge
Hawkinge, Kent in England
Spitfire Mk Vs of No. 91 Squadron lined up at Hawkinge during May 1942
RAF Hawkinge is located in Kent
RAF Hawkinge
RAF Hawkinge
Shown within Kent
Coordinates51°06′45″N 001°09′09″E / 51.11250°N 1.15250°E / 51.11250; 1.15250
TypeRoyal Air Force station
CodeVK[1]
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Flying Corps (1915–1918)
Royal Air Force (1918–1962)
Controlled byRAF Fighter Command 1940-62
Site history
Built1915 (1915)
In useOctober 1915 - January 1962 (1962)
FateSite redeveloped for housing estate and museum
Battles/warsFirst World War
European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation165 metres (541 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00  Grass field

Royal Air Force Hawkinge or more simply RAF Hawkinge is a former Royal Air Force station located 13.23 miles (21.29 km) east of Ashford, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north of Folkestone, Kent and 7.1 miles (11.4 km) west of Dover, Kent, England. The airfield was used by both the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force during its lifetime and was involved during the Battle of Britain, as well as other important aerial battles during the Second World War and the early stages of aerial usage in war in the First World War.

History

First World War

During the First World War the airfield was called RFC Folkestone until 29 December 1916 and RFC Hawkinge later on.[2][3] The only squadron present during this period was No. 25 Squadron RFC between 19 and 20 February 1916 with Vickers F.B.5, Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2B and Morane-Saulnier L.[4]

An Aircraft Acceptance Park was in residence between 27 July 1917 and 12 October 1917 before being renamed to No. 12 Aircraft Acceptance Park which stayed until May 1919.[5]

Inter-war years

Between the wars a number of squadrons were posted here:

Second World War

It was from Hawkinge that air liaison was maintained between the Royal Air Force and the British Expeditionary Force during the fighting in France and the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. As long as communications remained open targets were selected in accordance with requests from the BEF and Hawkinge was one of the advanced re-fuelling bases to provide maximum range for operations over France. It was a fighter airfield for squadrons of No. 11 Group, and was so severely damaged by German bombing and machine gun attacks during the Battle of Britain that it had to be abandoned temporarily.[13]

Hawkinge Cemetery is near the site of the aerodrome and most of the 95 Second World War casualties buried there were airmen. About a quarter were killed during the Battle of Britain. Most of the war graves are in a special plot east of the chapel, including 59 German graves, which are together in a group at the south-eastern corner.[13]

A number of squadrons were posted here:

Post war

After the war, the station hosted the Home Command Gliding Centre RAF (part of RAF Home Command), where many Air Cadets first learned to fly in Slingsby Mk III and Slingsby Sedbergh TX Mk.1 gliders.

RAF Hawkinge became a Woman's Officer Cadet Training Unit between June 1960 and January 1962,[36] under the command of Group Officer Jean Conan Doyle, the daughter of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle.

The Home Command Gliding Centre was ancillary to the training unit, the reason being that the grass airfield made it ideal for ATC Cadets to learn to fly sail planes.

Units

The following units were here at some point:[3]

RAF Regiment

Station commanders

Current use

The site has been largely built over and is now occupied by the Kent Battle of Britain Museum and a housing estate. The remains of the strip are referred to by locals as "the rough grounds".[50]

See also

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Falconer 2012, p. 107.
  2. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 147.
  3. 1 2 "Hawkinge (Folkestone)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  4. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 32.
  5. ↑ "RAF Hawkinge". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  6. 1 2 Jefford 1988, p. 23.
  7. 1 2 Jefford 1988, p. 29.
  8. 1 2 3 Jefford 1988, p. 33.
  9. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 37.
  10. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 43.
  11. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 50.
  12. 1 2 3 Jefford 1988, p. 58.
  13. 1 2 Archived 15 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine CWGC Cemetery Report, Hawkinge Cemetery.
  14. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 24.
  15. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 38.
  16. 1 2 Jefford 1988, p. 45.
  17. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 49.
  18. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 52.
  19. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 59.
  20. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 77.
  21. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 82.
  22. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 83.
  23. 1 2 Jefford 1988, p. 86.
  24. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 88.
  25. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 89.
  26. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 90.
  27. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 92.
  28. 1 2 Jefford 1988, p. 93.
  29. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 94.
  30. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 95.
  31. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 97.
  32. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 99.
  33. 1 2 3 Jefford 1988, p. 100.
  34. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 75.
  35. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 103.
  36. 1 2 3 Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 307.
  37. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 40.
  38. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 94.
  39. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 66.
  40. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 113.
  41. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 39.
  42. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 297.
  43. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 147.
  44. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 120.
  45. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 122.
  46. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 53.
  47. 1 2 Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 165.
  48. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 143.
  49. ↑ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 212.
  50. ↑ "About Former RAF Station Hawkinge". Kent Battle of Britain Museum. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

Bibliography

  • Falconer, J. (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
  • Jefford, C G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Lake, A. (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
  • Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.
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