Kenley, despite the best efforts of the Luftwaffe, was ready for action within hours of the raid ending — except for one glaring problem. The raid had identified how vulnerable RAF Kenley was to having its communication system destroyed — and the same was true for other Fighter Command bases. Lacking contact with Bentley Priory in North London — the headquarters for Fighter Command — Kenley was effectively blind to what was going on across south-east England.
Squadrons operating from Kenley during the Battle claimed successes as an increasing number of Luftwaffe aircraft were now operating over the south-east. There were bad days as well as good — in one day No County of Yorkshire Squadron lost seven Spitfires and No Squadron lost four Hurricanes where three pilots were killed. Unknown photographer. The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of world war by their prowess and by their devotion.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. All hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day, but we must never forget that all the time, night after night, month after month, our bomber squadrons travel far into Germany, find their targets in the darkness by the highest navigational skill, aim their attacks, often under the heaviest fire, often with serious loss, with deliberate, careful discrimination, and inflict shattering blows upon the whole of the technical and war-making structure of the Nazi power.
Hansard , Winston Churchill, 20 August By the end of the epic battle, on 31 October, there was no doubt that Kenley had played a highly significant role. Across the six squadrons based on the airfield at various times during the course of the Battle, 33 young pilots flying out of Kenley had paid with their lives; many more suffered life-impairing injuries. On the aerodrome, RAF ground crew and soldiers had been killed and wounded also. Your email address will not be published.
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My information will not be shared with any third party see our Privacy Statement - opens in a new window. The site was considerably changed in the post-war period: the World War One buildings were demolished by , the remaining hangar and control tower were destroyed in and the sector operations block was demolished in Some altered workshops survive as do the officers' mess and airmens institute: these last two buildings have been listed please see TQ 35 NW 66 and TQ 35 NW 67 for further details.
The perimeter defences were said to have been demolished in , However some other defensive installations survived at least into the late s see TQ 35 NW 69 to TQ NW In a war memorial situated in one of the blast pens was dedicated to all the personnel who had served at the airfield between and It was originally chosen as a Royal Flying Corps airfield and was built on part of Kenley Common in It is especially important as a survival of a Battle of Britain fighter airfield: although less actual buildings survive than at other sites such as Biggin Hill, Kenley is unique in having all of its 12 fighter pens intact.
These were designed with built in air raid shelters for personnel. It was during the crucial days of the Battle of Britain that these three RAF stations came into their own, fighting off the overwhelming might of the German Luftwaffe. In May , when Germany started the blitzkrieg on the airfields of Holland, Belgium and France, a squadron from Kenley set out for German bases near The Hague, and destroyed four Junkers 52 troop carriers.
Meanwhile, another squadron from Kenley set out for France as part of a force to deliver aircraft replacements for battered fighter squadrons. The airfield was first attacked in August , when it was devastated. Kenley and the surrounding area continued to suffer raids throughout the Battle of Britain. Although few of the remaining buildings survive and the control tower was demolished after a fire in along with the hangars, Kenley is thought to be the best preserved of all World War II RAF fighter stations, with the runway still in its original configuration.
In , the respective Councils of Croydon and Tandridge designated the airfield site as a Conservation Area.
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